Inner Beings
by Knight of L-sama
Summary: [COMPLETE] Rewrite of Slayers Origin. Lina and her friends visit Zelphilia, something strange occurs, which leads to a lot more strange things, and lots of chaos ensues. Please R&R!
1. I: Rules of the Game

A/N: This is a rewrite of my "Slayers Origins" If you haven't read it yet, don't worry about it. Just savor, read, and enjoy this fic. Please review too. Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers, just the characters I created myself.  
  
I. The Rules of the Game  
  
The four original Slayers gang was sitting by the fire, having just eaten a hearty dinner. When Lina assigned the watches, she caught a look of loneliness in Amelia's eyes. Concerned for her close friend, she asked her, "What's the matter Amelia? You aren't your usual happy-go-lucky self." Amelia sighed and looked up at Lina. "Oh, it's nothing too important, to you anyway. I just had a really bad dream last night and I don't want to have it again tonight." Lina was surprised that the justice-loving princess had a bad dream for once and decided to interrogate the girl further. "Want to talk about it? You're like a little sister to me, you know, I worry about you."  
  
Amelia, completely missing Lina's strange behavior, replied in a quiet and sad voice, "I dreamt that you all abandoned me because I was useless and a burden. Then, I wandered around aimlessly, unable to forget my grief, and collapsed in the middle of the forest. I could see a bandit gang sneaking up on me before I woke up." Amelia started crying at the remembrance of the dream. Lina looked at Amelia with surprise and shock. 'That's her version of a nightmare?! Geez, she knows she'll leave us eventually. Oh well. I'd consider myself lucky if I could call that my worse nightmare.'  
  
Lina sat down beside Amelia and did her best to comfort the princess. "Don't worry Amelia. Even if we do leave you, it won't be anytime soon - I'll make sure of that. Besides, you know very well that you are royalty, meaning you have royal duties. In fact, by the time we leave you, you'll probably be over your head in mountains of paperwork and you won't even notice that we left." Amelia was only slightly comforted by this, but her crying slackened slightly. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I will have to return to my royal duties eventually." Uncomfortable with Amelia crying, Lina quickly tried to think of something to take Amelia's mind off of her nightmare. A moment or two later, she had the perfect idea. Even if it cost her some of her pride, it was worth it to make Amelia forget her sorrows. Besides, she would need to tell them this eventually anyway.  
  
Lina stood up and smiled. "Hey guys." Gourry and Zelgadis looked up at Lina. "Come over here and play a game with us." Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia looked at Lina in puzzlement, but sat in a sort of circle around her. "Well, fine, I wouldn't exactly call this a game. It's just a basic Q & A thing so that you can ask me questions about my past. The questions can be anything about my hometown, childhood, personality, or things that you've always wondered about me. And before you ask, I'm doing this because of a certain event coming up soon and I need you to be informed. Does anyone have any questions about the rules?" Lina sat down on a log as everyone shook their heads. "Okay! Let the rounds of questions begin!"  
  
  
  
A/N: I will post the next one today, regardless of the reviews I get, but please review anyway! 


	2. II: Lina's Past She's a WHAT!

A/N: Here you go! I present the next chapter! I hope you like it. (  
  
II. Lina's Past - She's a WHAT?!  
  
"Hmm.Gourry, you can go first. Ask me a question." Lina relaxed and waited for Gourry's question. 'I can't believe I'm about to tell them about my past. Oh well, it's either now or never.' "Uh." Gourry looked at Lina, trying to think of a question (He actually listened to Lina this time). "Why do you look so short and err- underdeveloped?" Zelgadis and Amelia face faulted at Gourry's dumb question and waited for Lina to throw a fireball. Surprisingly, she didn't. She twitched a little, but calmly told Gourry her answer.  
  
"Heh. Figures you'd ask something like that. Well if you really must know, it's because of the magic I use. You see, black magic has the power to dramatically slow down the user's aging, so that they look young and stay alive longer than most people, even other magic-using ones. In my case, when I first cast the Dragon Slave, I was still pretty young and I used a lot more black magic than I should have, so my body has stayed the same ever since. Well, I imagine that my body has grown a bit in the last eight years or so, but unfortunately, not enough to be noticed." Lina sighed with disappointment.  
  
Amelia was beginning to cheer up a lot now and had been listening to Lina intently. "How did you learn the Dragon Slave in the first place? I've always heard that Zelphilia was mostly grape vineyards." Lina smiled a bit in pride. "You're right. Zelphilia is mostly grape vineyards, but the urban part of the country is pretty resourceful and wealthy, due to the fact that Zelphilian wine sells wonderfully. In fact, I believe Zelphilia is the second largest and wealthiest city, next to Seyruun, of course. Anyways, when I was there, I had access to both of the huge general and restricted areas of the libraries in the castle and the local Sorcerer's Guild. I learned the Dragon Slave in the restricted area of the castle's library."  
  
Zelgadis looked up from his after-dinner cup of coffee. "Hold on. How did you get access to the castle's library, let alone the restricted area? Weren't you a commoner?" Lina bit her lip, but then smirked again. 'Uh Oh. The inevitable question will be coming soon. I just know it.' "Ah. You'd think so, wouldn't you? Well, yes, my mother was once a 'commoner', but I never was. You see, a couple of years before I was born, the prince of Zelphilia, Prince Inverse, hosted a beauty pageant in hopes of finding himself a bride. He was just a little older than a teenager, 26, at the time. In the pageant, all of the princesses from around the neighboring countries, along with a few of the most beautiful women in the kingdom, presented themselves to the prince in hopes of being chosen. My mother was among the selection of beautiful women in the kingdom, in fact, she was the most beautiful. It was evident that she was the prettiest when she was the last to present herself to the Prince. So obviously, they got married a month later. My father didn't care if his bride was royalty or not - he only cared about looks and personality because he preferred a beautiful and kind wife than a bossy and rough queen. Anyway, during that month of engagement, they fell in love completely. Then, one year after they married, they had me. Need I say more?"  
  
Zelgadis, Amelia, and Gourry blinked. Then, as the bit of information sunk in, their eyes widened and they simultaneously exclaimed, "YOU'RE A PRINCESS?!?! (Even Gourry got this concept somehow.)" Lina winced at their volume, but nodded in affirmation. Zel, Ame, and Gourry stared at Lina with wide eyes. With her attitude and personality, they never even dreamed that LINA of all people was a real princess. And hey, who can blame them? She was known as Dra-mata and Enemy of All Who Live. They sat a few minutes in silence, everyone thinking of what they could say. Gourry was the first to speak. "Uh.How does being a princess allow Lina to get into the restricted area of the castle library?" Amelia, Lina, and Zelgadis face faulted. Amelia answered his clueless question. "Isn't it obvious? She's in the immediate line of successors to the throne. Even as a KID, Lina had authority in Zelphilia. She could get practically anything she wanted and get people to do almost anything for her. Right, Miss Lina?" Lina smiled and nodded again. Gourry looked down in thought (or something like that), then he looked up with a deceiving expression of understanding and replied, "Huh?." Everybody shook their heads and sighed at Gourry's thickness.  
  
At that moment, Zelgadis thought of something and voiced his thoughts. "If you really could have had anything in Zelphilia AND you were a princess, why did you ever leave? It seems like the ideal life for you." Lina inwardly groaned. 'There it is. *Takes deep breath* Okay, here goes.' "Let me explain this in a little story. Before I was born, my father roamed the lands in search of power and money. On these little trips, he met many kings and princes in many kingdoms, weak, poor, strong, and wealthy alike. Well, one day, when I was 8 years old, my grandfather died and my father became king, with my mother becoming his queen. Just two months later, my father sent for me for a private conversation between my parents and me. He told me that he had arranged for me to marry a 10- year-old Prince of Salazar because after doing so, the two kingdoms could merge and become much more powerful and wealthy. Upon hearing this, I flat out refused to comply with his wishes. Hey, I may have only been eight, but I wasn't stupid enough to get married yet (sound familiar? Yup, that's almost what Lina said in the series! :P). My mother hadn't heard of this plan until then, and she wholeheartedly agreed with me. A girl, even the princess of a wealthy kingdom, shouldn't be forced into marrying a man, no a boy, that she didn't even know. Disgruntled, my father finally compromised to hold off the marriage until I was 18. That's the main reason I ran away from home. The other reason is my sister - her and her ways just plain scared me out of town."  
  
Gourry, realizing something, ventured to ask Lina, "Hey, how old are you now?" Lina frowned. She muttered a short answer. "10 days from now, I'll be 18." Zel, Ame, and Gourry sat in silence once again, knowing exactly what Lina's current problem was. Zel then asked, "Is there any way of breaking the engagement?" Lina nodded. "If I can beat the prince in five specified battles before my 18th birthday, I won't have to marry him. So, at age 8, I started my magical training at the Sorcerer's Guild. I would have quickly risen in the ranks if it weren't for the facts that I had to take etiquette lessons as well and that my sister often substituted for my teacher whenever he was away or couldn't teach me for whatever reason. In any case, I beat him in a hand-to-hand combat when I was 8 and 1/2. I easily beat him in a magic fight at age 9 and a sword fight at age 10. Then, at age 11, I beat him in a game of wits and strategy. At age 12, I ran away from home so I couldn't face him anymore."  
  
Amelia quickly summarized what Lina just said. "So 6 years later, you have to beat him one more time before the engagement is broken, right?" Lina merely nodded again. "The final battle is an arena showdown where it's anything goes." After pausing to think a few moments, Lina continued. "And I want you guys there to see me through my victory (Lina made a peace sign and grinned happily).or my defeat and wedding (in a blink of an eye, Lina's face changes to completely sad and sullen). So can you come with me (Lina now looks up to her friends with a face full of hope, or hopefully)?"  
  
Gourry immediately replied, "No matter what, I'm following you wherever you go. After all, what kind of protector would I be if I abandoned you?" Amelia soon stated in her justice-speech-voice, "Yes, and I'll accompany you because you're my best friend. and I'm interesting to see what this prince, Zelphilia, and your sister are like." Zelgadis slowly replied in a quiet voice, "And I'll tag along so that I can check out those libraries you mentioned. If they're good enough to hold the Dragon Slave spell, they'll have a good chance of holding the reversal spell to my chimera curse, too." Lina smirked and laid out her travel map. "Okay then - Next stop, Zelphilia! According to this map, it should take us 3 days with minimal stops to get to Seyruun. From there, it will only take a day on horseback to get to Zelphilia. We'll start first thing in the morning, so get a good night's sleep!" With that, Lina stretched, yawned, went into her tent, and quickly fell asleep. The others soon followed her example, excluding Zelgadis who stayed out for first watch.  
  
  
  
A/N: More to come soon. PLEASE REVIEW!!! Any questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome! Stay tuned for the next chapter! 


	3. III: The Prince and the Curse

A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews, thus far. I enjoyed writing this story, so I hope at least one other person can enjoy reading it! Reviews would be nice.  
  
III. The Prince and the Curse  
  
The next day, the Slayers set off for Zelphilia, everyone having their own little thoughts.  
  
'I can't believe Lina is a princess like me! And here I've been her close companion and friend for almost three years. I'm ashamed of myself a little. Although the signs were very small and vague, I should have caught on. *Sigh* Oh well. There's no helping it now. I wonder what Lina's prince looks like? If Lina ran away, he must have been pretty ugly. Then again, it's been six years since she last saw him, so he probably matured and is at least somewhat handsome. Hmm.'(Obviously thought by Amelia)  
  
'Lina says she found the Dragon Slave spell in the library of the castle, huh? Maybe my cure will be there! YES!!! I can't wait to get there and search through the magic books!' (Need you ask who this is? Zelgadis, of course!)  
  
'Oh, how I dread my next birthday! After all these years, I'm going to go back home and.and.visit my sister! U_U; I hope she won't punish me too badly for running away... Knowing her, she'd probably put another curse on me. As if I need another one.WAHH!' (Poor Lina. But I wonder what this curse she's talking about is.and to think - Luna was still 13 when she cast it!)  
  
'I wonder why Lina is so scared of her sister. Looking at her now, she looks like she's about to face down something more dreadful than three pieces of Shabadingo or whatever that guy's name is.and she didn't show that she was scared at all when we faced just one! Is Lina's sister really all that bad? Well, if she's anything like Lina.*Shudders involuntarily at the thought* .Then yeah, definitely.' (Gourry sure wonders about a lot of things, doesn't he? Although, he is being pretty observant) It was then that Gourry decided to take a chance and ask Lina, "Oi, Lina. Why are you so scared of your sister? You look downright terrified." Amelia and Zelgadis looked at Lina, and realized Gourry was right. They waited for Lina's answer.  
  
Lina chuckled nervously and bent down her head a little, so that her bangs covered her eyes. While continuing to walk, she replied in a ghastly voice, "Want to know why? 'Cause she tortured me, Gourry. She called it "tutoring" but I called it "torturing". From ages 8 to 12, she had me on a strict schedule: Three days a week I'd do the Water Survival Exercise. My sister would tie my hands and legs up in chains and throw me into a pool of water. (OoO!) The point was, of course, to break the chains and escape before you ran out of oxygen. She started me off with weak chains, but as my teeth and hands grew stronger, she'd lower the depth of the water and strengthen the chains. It hurt me a lot and nearly killed me, but it's why I'm so strong in hand-to-hand combat and why I can hold my breath pretty long underwater.  
  
"Then two days of the week, I had etiquette lessons. You know, the usual table manners, way of talking, how to dress, and all that - basically how to be a proper princess. That was torture in its own way, and that's why I don't restrain myself or even attempt to be proper when I'm traveling. Next, once a week, Luna would make me go down to the grape vineyards and stomp grapes for wine. That wasn't so bad, I had fun doing it, but it killed my feet and legs in the morning. Finally, she made me visit the prince I was talking about, the last day of the week." 'It was the absolute worst because of that stupid curse.' Lina was quietly grumbling to herself now, so Amelia asked her, "What was torture about that? You got to spend a lot of time with a prince!" At this, Lina stopped walking and turned to Amelia with a mischievous grin on her face. "Sore wa . himitsu desu! (Xellos' line: That's a secret ^o^;)" Everybody, except Lina, face faulted at Lina's answer as she hummed to herself and started walking again. After recovering, Zelgadis, Amelia, and Gourry followed suit and walked the rest of the trip in relative silence.  
  
  
  
**Five days later, they found themselves in the prosperous grape vineyard land of Zelphilia. **  
  
  
  
Lina tried to walk as inconspicuously as possible through the streets, in hopes of nobody recognizing her, and succeeded until.  
  
Lina stopped in her tracks when she thought she heard a familiar sound. Then she heard it again. It was a sort of puppy yelp that sounded like, "Pico! Pico! (I know, sounds really strange, but that's because it's a magical pup!)" Lina gasped as a large almost-completely-white wolf with a happy grin on its face, came running toward her. "No way, it can't be. Pico-chan?" Just then, the wolf leaped up and sent Lina crashing to the ground as he started licking her happily in the face. Lina laughed and rejoiced. "Pico! It is you! My, how you've grown! Ha Ha! I'm happy to see you, too!" Her voice turned stern. "Now, could you please get off me so I can say 'hi' to you properly?" At this, the wolf jumped off Lina and obediently sat down in front of her. Lina got up and brushed herself off. Then, she bent down a little and held out her hand. With his tail wagging, Pico put his right front paw in Lina's outstretched hand and proceeded to shake it. Lina laughed again. "Good Pico! I see you haven't forgotten what I taught you, all those years ago." Lina hugged Pico and then petted his back affectionately. All through this, Lina's friends watched the wolf/Lina transaction with gaping mouths and a lot of interest. Finally, Gourry spoke up. "Uh, Lina? Who's your friend?"  
  
Lina looked around and saw everybody's puzzled expressions. "Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce you. Ahem. Pico, meet my most trusted traveling companions - Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis. Everybody, meet Pico, my pet and protector as a kid! Say 'hi' Pico!" Pico barked and added to it, "Pico! Pico!" Lina's friends continued to stare at Pico and Lina, shocked. Amelia was the first to break off the stare. "Oh, hi Pico! So you're Lina's old pet, huh? Aww.you just look so ADORABLE!" *Amelia squeals in delight* Everybody sweatdropped, but Gourry and Zelgadis acknowledged Pico with a slight smile and nod. Lina was about to tell her friends how Pico and her had met, when Lina stopped in mid-sentence.  
  
She felt her spine tingling and when she looked at her hands, they briefly glowed a bright gold. 'Oh, no. Not now! The spell's taking into effect! Please! Not now, not in front of my friends!' Lina stopped her thoughts and looked up the road.  
  
Walking gallantly towards them was a handsome gentleman, guarded by four men; two in the back and one on each side. When he had caught sight of Lina, he had immediately stopped walking, about 20 feet away from her. Lina immediately recognized the guarded man, tensed up, and stepped back as she tried to resist the curse, but her attempts were futile. Everybody gasped when Lina did something completely unexpected from her. She relaxed, her eyes turned into hearts, and a smile was plastered to her face. Then, she broke into a run and hugged the handsome man tightly around the neck. The man gasped in surprise. Even more surprising, with her eyes closed.she quickly lifted her head up, and kissed him full on the lips! Soon afterwards, she released her hold, stepped back, and her eyes returned to normal as Lina once more regained her senses.  
  
She gasped and clutched her heart (chest). 'Oh, L-sama. It's worse than before! When I was still a kid, all I had to do was kiss him on the cheeks to break it off. I guess it's because I'm older now and supposedly more mature.' Lina sighed, shook her head hopelessly, and looked up at the man she had just kissed. She let out a small gasp as she surveyed him. He had short, blond hair and big, blue, beautiful eyes that simply dazzled any girl who looked into them. He wore a royal blue outfit, and a long black cape with gold interior. His shoulder armor had jewels pressed into them, too. In all, he looked like a handsome traveler who had a regal look about him. 'L-sama! He's gorgeous!' Lina stood up straight and smiled. "Long time no see, Prince Xerxes."  
  
Prince Xerxes was surprised when he had first seen Lina. He hadn't seen Lina in town for over five years, so seeing her again seemed almost like an illusion. When Lina kissed him though, it instantly confirmed his thought, and he welcomed her. "Ah, yes. It has been, hasn't it? Welcome back, Princess Inverse, or Lina." Lina's companions had followed her and had caught that kiss and greeting. Gourry's heart hurt a little when he saw the kiss, but tried to not show it. (Aww.Poor Gourry) Amelia walked up behind Lina. "So this is the prince you were talking about, eh Lina? My, my, isn't he a looker? I wonder why you'd want to run away from marrying him?" Amelia quietly whispered into Lina's ear, making sure that no one else heard her. Lina blushed and hastily replied back, "I'll tell you later."  
  
Prince Xerxes looked Lina and mentally noted that her figure hadn't seemed to change a bit. "Lina-chan, what brings you back here, after all these years? .To visit your sister perhaps?" Lina winced at the nickname, but smiled. "Well, yes, that too. My 18th birthday is coming up soon, in case you forgot. And I want to celebrate it here. Now then, where were you headed before I came along?" The prince kept his smile on. "Well, I was just going around the city to make sure that everyone was content. Afterwards, I was planning to head back to the castle. Care to join me?" Prince Xerxes held out his arm. Lina, too, kept her smile on. "Alright, hold on while I go get cleaned up a little first though, okay?" "As you wish." Xerxes put down his arm.  
  
Zelgadis, feeling that the conversation had ended, turned to Lina. "Ahem. Lina? Care to introduce us?" Lina looked at Zel and rubbing the back of her head again, replied, "Oh, silly me. I just keep forgetting to introduce people today! (She forgot that Pico wasn't a person!) Oh well. Ahem. Prince Xerxes, allow me to present my three current traveling companions - Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune, a princess of Seyruun, Gourry Gabriev, previous Swordsman of Light, and Zelgadis Graywords, grandson of Rezo the Red Priest. Everybody, this is Helios Xerxes, but everybody calls him by his last name, the Prince of Salazar." Xerxes slightly bowed and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Amelia was quick to respond. "Oh no, Prince Xerxes. The pleasure is all ours." Lina smiled, happy that they seemed to get along. "Okay, go ahead and talk a little while I freshen up. Come on, Pico!" At that, Lina and Pico made their way to a fancy inn by the name of The Royale Inn. Well, actually, Lina just went into the alley next to it.  
  
Once there, Lina crouched down and looked at Pico. Pico, in response, imploringly cocked his head to one side. Then, Lina placed her right hand on Pico's forehead and silently cast a spell. Pico glowed gold and slowly, the golden aura was passed to Lina. When the glowing stopped, Lina looked down at herself. The spell had worked. Lina's dirty sorceress's outfit was replaced by a clean outfit, exactly like Xerxes' except it was a crimson red color. "Okay, Pico. Thanks for the outfit. It fits nicely. Come on, let's go back to the castle!" Pico barked happily. Lina soon rejoined her friends. When they saw her coming, they stared at her in amazement. Gourry asked the question that was on all of their minds. "Wow, Lina. You look great. But where did you get that, and so quickly too?" Lina waved off the question. "Oh, it's nothing. Pico here was just storing it for me for future use." Lina patted Pico's head. "Well, shall we go?" When everyone nodded, Lina took her place beside Xerxes and they proceeded to walk to the castle.  
  
They didn't notice, however, that since Pico had tackled Lina, the townspeople had stopped what they were doing, and had watched Lina from the sidelines. They started whispering as soon as she was out of earshot. "Do you know who that is? That's the runaway Inverse girl! Lina Inverse has returned!" News of Lina's arrival quickly traveled to Luna Inverse's ears. "So the little runt has returned once more, eh? Well, let the fun begin!" Luna cackled evilly as she stopped working and teleported back to the castle, patiently getting ready for her little sister's arrival.  
  
A/N: I hope you liked it. More to Come Soon! Please REVIEW!!! 


	4. IV: Royal Greetings and Private Convers...

A/N: Here comes the royal family! Hope you like it!  
  
IV. Royal Greetings and Private Conversations  
  
Lina and Xerxes, followed by Xerxes' guards, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis, walked calmly down the road, closing in on the distance between them and the Zelphilian castle. Pico was walking alongside Lina, who had been walking silently until now. Lina was bored, so she decided to strike up a telepathic conversation with Pico.  
  
"So how have things been here while I was gone, Pico? Don't say you didn't notice anything, because I trained you to be a top spy wolf. Just give me the most important information."  
  
"Hmm.All right. Let's see.Well first, you should know that about three years after you left, your mother died in a dragon raid. A group of five black dragons stormed in and went around trying to cause destruction everywhere. Fortunately, I, along with the Zelphilian sorcery army, killed them before they could cause enough permanent damage. But your mother, being the kind woman that she was, bravely stepped in the path of the dragon leader while trying to save some innocent village children. Unfortunately, after saving them, she was stomped by the dragon's foot." Lina gasped in horror at this, but kept quiet and allowed Pico to continue. "After she died, your father became sole ruler of Zelphilia. He knew that you were next in line to the throne, so he appointed Luna Head of the Sorcerer's Guild and ordered her to find you. Of course, with the help of the Guild's Crystal Ball, she tracked you down a week later. I looked over her shoulder the first time she watched you. You had a bounty on your head and you were about to pretend to marry someone while in disguise. I can't believe you'd even attempt that, anyway! What were you thinking?!"  
  
Lina chuckled nervously. "Heh.having 5000 gold pieces as payment?" When she saw Pico glare at her, she added quickly, "I didn't actually marry him, you know! As if I'd risk my reputation as both the Bandit Killer AND Princess Inverse! Besides, he wasn't my type."  
  
Pico still glared at her. "Shame on you. You know very well that if you ever wanted money, all you had to do was come home. Why did you wait so long to come home anyway?" Lina sighed and answered back with a wistful look, "I have my reasons. But I came home NOW because the marriage deadline is almost up. I don't hate Xerxes, but I don't love him, either. Besides, even now, I don't want to marry ANYONE. Marriage just isn't for me. I don't care if I do have to rule alone. *Lina grinned mischievously to herself* It'll be a fun experience."  
  
Pico contemplated this silently, and ventured to ask the princess a question. "But if you rule alone, how will you get any heirs to the throne?" Lina blushed and stopped to think about this. "Okay, fine. I will marry. When the time is right and when it's with someone I really love. Now can you please change the subject?"  
  
"Oh all right. Ever since you left, Prince Xerxes has been visiting here once a month, in hopes of catching you when you returned. He was on his monthly round when you saw him today. Oh yeah, about a year ago, he brought a female wolf here to stay because he had found her wounded in the nearby forest. Well, about six months later *Pico started beaming with pride* she had five pups! I'm a father now!"  
  
Lina squealed in delight at the prospect of Pico's puppies. Her friends looked at her strangely but she ignored them. "Oh, that's great! I can't wait to see them. Considering that they're yours, they must be adorable! Where are they now?" "Right now, we've taken to living in your old bedchamber. When we get there, I'll convince Cecelia to let you get near them. She's still very protective of her pups, you know. Although, recently, she seems to be suffering from some sort of disease. Do you think you can take a look at her for me? I'd ask the royal veterinarians to do it, but everyone is too frightened to go near a protective mother wolf. They don't understand me anyway." Lina smiled at Pico. "Of course I will. I'll do whatever I can to help. But if I can't do it, I'll have my friend, Amelia, do the examination - she specializes in white magic. But I'll talk to you more later on. We've arrived."  
  
And indeed they had. Lina & co. stopped at the gate. The guard looked at the group of people and immediately allowed them to enter when he saw Prince Xerxes. He hadn't seemed to recognize Lina yet. Lina saw this and mentally noted to make sure that nobody would ever forget who she was and what she looked like again. At the main door, five servants were lined up on each side of the door. A butler was waiting at the end and politely asked, "Who are you and what business do you have here?" Prince Xerxes and his guards stepped back as they allowed Lina to reintroduce herself.  
  
Lina scoffed. 'Geez. I haven't been away that long, have I? Oh, well, might as well get it over with.' Lina cleared her throat. "My name is Lina Inverse, also known as the Bandit Killer or Princess Inverse. These are my friends Gourry Gabriev, Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune, and Zelgadis Graywords. I'm here on official business with the royal family, as well as some personal reasons." The butler and the servants had gasped as soon as Lina mentioned "Princess Inverse", and the butler instantly smiled and bowed at Lina. "Forgive me for not recognizing you sooner. Please follow me to the throne room to meet King Inverse and then to the dining hall to have something to eat. I'm sure you must be hungry after traveling so much."  
  
Lina nodded with approval and told her friends to follow the servants to their guest rooms and get washed up before meeting her in the dining hall. Just then, a messenger boy came up to Prince Xerxes and gave him a note. After reading it, Xerxes turned to Lina. "Lina-chan, I'm sorry we couldn't spend more time together, but I really must be going now. Perhaps I'll visit you another time. Until then, farewell." Lina again, nodded her consent and waved goodbye to the prince. After doing so, Lina silently followed the butler to the throne room, with Pico alongside her.  
  
Once they arrived at the throne room, Lina looked around quickly. Nothing had changed at all, excluding the fact that her mother wasn't sitting next to her father on the throne. There were still the same royal banners decorating the walls, and three large gold-trimmed chairs on a slightly lifted platform in the center of the back wall (The third one is for Lina, in case you couldn't figure it out). When King Inverse caught sight of Lina, he stood up in surprise. Lina quickly made her way to the front of the throne and bowed her head slightly. Pico sat obediently by Lina as she made a small curtsy and greeted the King. "It's been a long time, Father. But now I have returned. However long I shall stay, I do not know at the moment." The King, in response, walked down from the throne and hugged Lina tightly. Lina gasped at her father's tight grip. He whispered in her ear, "I missed you, Lina. I'm sorry if you ran away because I tried to force you to marry someone you didn't love at a young age. I won't do it again and will allow you to marry whomever you wish. As long as you think that they could rule by your side as King of Zelphilia, that is. And welcome back, sweetheart." Lina smiled and hugged her father back. "I missed you, too. Thank you. I'm not sure at the moment, but I promise you, when I do find him, I'll make sure he's the best king Zelphilia's ever had! Well, close to it anyway." Lina broke the hug. "This means that the whole marriage dueling is off, right?" At the King's smile and nod, she happily continued. "Good. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that. Now then, I was on my way to the dining hall to eat and see Luna. She's still here right?"  
  
When the King nodded again, Lina grinned back and added, "Great! I'll see you again at dinner, with my friends, okay? Alright, I'll see you later! Bye for now!" With that, Lina whistled to Pico, who immediately transformed into a snowy-white wolf, three times bigger than before (He had already went up to Lina's waist before transforming, too). Lina smiled and jumped on Pico's back. Then, at a slight nudge from Lina, Pico gallantly sprinted off to the dining hall, with his mistress riding side-straddle on his back.  
  
Right before they got to the dining hall, Lina got off Pico and had him transform back as Lina fixed her hair a little. She held her breath, put her right hand on Pico's head for comfort, and proceeded to walk into the dining hall with an air of dignity. Seated in front of her sipping a cup of tea, at the end of a long table, was Luna Inverse, Knight of Celpheed and Lina's sister. Also seated at the table were Lina's friends. Luna looked up to see Lina, and surprisingly smiled. "Ah. So the little princess has arrived. Come, sit down next to me." Nervously, Lina made her way to Luna, and seated herself at Luna's left side. Lina noticed that Luna was in the King's chair, but let it go by and looked around. "Did you guys eat yet?" When they shook their heads 'no' Lina sighed. "Oh well. I'll order something for you. Oi! Marie! *Catches the attention of a young girl in a waitress uniform* Can I have two orders of Lunch of the Day EXTRA large? And umm.a cup and pot of decaf coffee, and a regular-sized Lunch of the Day. Great! Thanks a lot! ^.^" The girl looked at Lina trying to remember where she had seen her, she remembered, smiled, and said, "Right away, Princess Lina!"  
  
After the food came, Luna watched in amazement as her petite little sister started to devour the food in front of her like there was no tomorrow. "Lina! Where are your manners? You're at the castle now, for L- sama's sake! Eat politely!" Lina stopped eating immediately, shuddered at Luna's scolding, looked quickly at Luna, and then at Pico. Aloud, she asked Pico, "Pico! Did you forget to unseal my manners again? Give them back!" Everyone watched in astonishment as a small golden orb rose from Pico's head and melted into Lina's hands. Lina calmly smiled and went back to eating, with a lot more restraint and manners. Luna sweatdropped. "I didn't mean that literally, you know. I didn't even know that you could do that." When Lina just continued to smile and eat, Luna sighed. "Excuse me, I have some unfinished business to attend to. Lina, I'll see you at dinner." When Lina nonchalantly nodded and still continued eating, Lina's friends watched as Luna got up and left the dining hall. Lina exhaled in relief, stopped eating briefly, and slumped back in her chair.  
  
"That was fun, wasn't it Pico? I always seem to enjoy doing things that make Luna sweatdrop. Ha ha!" Again, everyone watched as Lina went back to eating, politely but quickly. After everyone finished, Gourry looked at Lina and remembered something. "Lina? If you eat so much, how come your figure never changes? You're still as petite as the day I met you!" Amelia chimed in and added, "Yeah! Where does all that food go?" Zelgadis quietly sat back and drank the last of his coffee. He already knew the answer. Lina wiped her mouth with her napkin and sat back.  
  
"Thanks for the compliment, Gourry. Well, it's because in a way, I eat for two. First, I eat to keep up my magic power, or MP. It's what allows me to cast a certain amount of spells, bigger spells taking up more MP than smaller spells, of course. If I run out or run low on MP, my magic either doesn't work or doesn't work very well. The more I eat, the more I regenerate my magic powers. However, black magic takes the most food to regenerate, especially when you're as powerful as me. Well, magic of all kinds can also regenerate when you rest, just like your energy does. So, every time I eat, the food is converted into MP and is stored in my body for future magic use. When I use magic, I summon it from my MP stash. So, in a sense, the food doesn't make me fat because it never really stays inside my body. Second, after my MP level is at max, I eat for myself so that I don't die of hunger. That part is simple enough - If you don't eat, you don't live. Oh yeah, I also exercise a lot, so that takes off any fat that I might have."  
  
Amelia understood immediately, but it took Gourry ten minutes of straight blinking and staring before he even replied. "OH! Uh.What did I ask again?" was his intelligent reply. Everyone face faulted. Lina sighed and shook her head at Gourry's forgetfulness as she stood up. "Forget it. If you want to know, ask Amelia later. Well, I have to do something in my bedchamber now. Amelia, I want you to come with me for back up and I need to talk to you. Gourry, you can roam around the city, if you want. Just say that you're Princess Inverse's close friend and that I'll make sure they pay dearly if they don't do as you ask, and they'll let you have everything practically free. Just don't ask for too much, or Zelphilia will be in trouble money-wise and I'll get into trouble for allowing you to do it." Seeing Gourry's blank and confused expression, Lina sighed and added, "Ugh.Never mind. I'll just write you a note to show them. And Zelgadis, the castle library is straight down the hall to your left. You can't miss it - at every turn there are signs pointing to where each path leads. You can do your researching there. I'll give you a note to show to the librarian and she'll let you into the restricted area. Everyone got it? Okay! I'll see you all back here at sundown for dinner. Bye! Come on Pico. Amelia, follow me." Everyone sat stunned as Lina hastily scribbled two notes, handed them to Gourry and Zelgadis, and started to leave. Pico had gotten up and followed her. She looked back and saw that everyone was still sitting at the table.  
  
"Come on, Come on, Come on!!! I don't have all day, you know! Hurry up and leave! Some people from the kitchen will come soon to wipe off the table. Amelia!" At this, they all jumped and ran for the door. Gourry turned right, Zelgadis turned left, and Lina led Amelia and Pico to her bedchamber straight ahead. When Lina opened the double doors, Amelia looked around, amazed. There were dozens of ancient-looking scrolls of dragons and wars on the walls, and a crimson-red four-poster bed a few yards in front of her. On the opposite wall, there was a large window, with a door that led to a large balcony overlooking the garden. There were also two lounging chairs and a sofa positioned in front of a brick fireplace. Overall, the room was simply large and magnificent, even in Amelia's eyes. "Wow. Lina, you sure lived in style when you were growing up. I'm impressed. I think your bedchamber is even bigger than mine!" Lina chuckled softly and walked in. "Thanks, Amelia. Hold on, Pico. Let me give you a magical translator so that you can tell Amelia what's wrong." With that, Lina bent down and put two fingers on Pico's nose. As she whispered a spell, Pico's mouth briefly glowed a bright golden color. When the glowing stopped, Pico cleared his throat and spoke in perfect Human language (Japanese, English, whatever language Lina's friends spoke). "Thank you, Lina. Now then, I'll show you Cecelia and you can tell me what you make of it." Pico then walked around the bed and stopped. Lina and Amelia followed.  
  
Amelia gasped. "Oh my. What's wrong with that wolf?" Pico sighed and replied, "You tell me. I have no idea. It's just that one morning she woke up and started scratching furiously. She took a bath soon after waking up, but the spots didn't disappear. I think her scratching them made them worse, though." Amelia was surprised. She had never heard of this sort of illness before. She looked at Lina to see what she thought. Lina had her eyes closed and seemed to be trying to remember something. When she opened her eyes again, she smiled and laughed softly. "Oh, my dear Pico. You need not worry. Cecelia just has a case of 'chicken pox'. Although, I must admit, chicken pox are supposed to only be caught by humans, if at all. Anyway, just tell her to stop scratching herself, it will make it worse. In the mean time, I'll create some lotion that will make her feel better. A few days of good bed rest, and she'll be just fine." Amelia stared at Lina in shock. "Lina! Where did you learn that? Even I've never heard of this disease." Lina waved off her question and sat on the edge of the bed. "Oh, it's nothing. My friend told me a long time ago. She was reading a bedtime story to me and it came up. Now then, Pico - where are your puppies?" Pico smiled as he nudged Cecelia over, revealing a huddled mass of fur, er - puppies. Lina and Amelia's eyes immediately lightened up with adoration. "OH!!! THEY'RE SOOO CUTE!!!" After looking at them for a while, Lina sat back down on the bed. At Lina's gesture, Amelia joined Lina on the bed. "Well, what did you want to talk to me about?" "Well, I know you still have a question or two to ask me. Since the guys aren't here, you can make it more personal, if you want. I'm kind of tired, so I'll just lie on the bed while you ask questions. Don't worry, I won't fall asleep just yet. I have other things to do today."  
  
Amelia nodded and looked around, trying to think of her questions. "Why did you run away from marrying Prince Xerxes?" Lina sighed deeply. "I can't tell you the whole reason for that yet. But, mark my words, before you leave this town, you will know the answer and much more. The main reason, though, was because of a curse Luna put on me. The curse is that whenever I see Xerxes, I immediately adore him, hug him, and then kiss him. The reason behind the curse was supposedly to make it easier for me to love somebody, mainly Xerxes. But the spell kind of backfired and now I'm even more resistant to guys, love, and marriage." Lina shrugged and added, "Next question?" Amelia looked at Lina as she contemplated her answer. The more she learned about Lina, the more mysterious she seemed. Amelia shook off the thought and asked another question. "Do you know why some people call you a Dragon Spooker? Looking at the scrolls on the walls, you seem to like dragons quite a bit." Lina looked up in thought and slowly shook her head. "You're right. I did like dragons when I was little. They had that strong, powerful look whenever I see them. But I have no idea why I'm called that. Sometimes I wonder that, too. Pico, do you know what might have started it?" Pico quickly replied, "I'm not sure myself, but I believe it has to do something with you almost effortlessly killed Allenzheimer, the dragon warrior, when you were 9, no 8, with a Dragon Slave." Amelia's eyes widened. "You took out a DRAGON warrior when you were only EIGHT!?! Why would you even do that?"  
  
Lina continued to stare at the ceiling and mused aloud. "Oh, now I remember. Heh. I did it because it was Luna's scariest creature that she used to attack me with. I had just done something that made her REALLY mad, well, more embarrassed actually. Then, she did something really sickening to me. So, I got back at her by killing her most powerful dragon. Feeling that anymore retaliation would be, in the end, pointless, she decided to give up and call it a truce. When I was 12, I finally had the nerve to run away, when I made a horrifying discovery. But she started it by putting that curse on me. Don't bother asking what the discovery was, I won't tell you." Amelia's eyes grew wider, if possible. "Okay, I won't. Just what did she do that sickened you so much?" Lina shudder involuntarily at the thought.  
  
"She.She.oh, I can't say it! Pico, you tell her, you were there too." Lina rolled sideways and started shaking a little. Pico willingly obliged. "Well, you see, it went something like this: One night, when Lina was 8-years-old, Lina's family had escargot for dinner. She had never tried it before, and she liked it immediately after she tried just a little. She quickly devoured about 20 of them straight, if my memory is correct. Well, after dinner, Luna pulled Lina to the side and told her that since she ate so many of its friends, a large snail would visit her in the morning. This didn't faze Lina, but she had nightmares about snails eating her when she went to sleep that night. While she was sleeping, Luna silently crept into her room, whispered a summoning spell, summoned a giant snail, put it at the foot of the bed, and left. By morning, the snail had climbed up the bed and was standing on Lina's feet, on top of the covers, when Lina woke up. She shrieked so loudly in surprise, that it woke up everyone in the castle. When her mother came in to comfort her, she saw Luna in the shadows of the door, snickering to herself. She knew that Luna had summoned it, and it made her mad. That's the basic story I think." Lina nodded as she sat up with a sullen face. Amelia's face softened with sympathy. "So that's why you're so terrified of snails and slugs. First, you ate cooked snails for dinner, then straight afterward you had nightmares about them eating you, and you woke up to find a snail hovering over you. I feel sorry for you." Lina nodded.  
  
"I think that's enough questioning for me. I have a lot to do today. I need to tie up some loose ends here and do a little bit of shopping. After I finish my business, do you want to go shopping with me?" Amelia jumped off the bed and replied, "Of course I do! But Lina-san, why do you need to go shopping? For one thing, you never shopped with us when we were traveling. Also, aren't all of your clothes, fancy or not, still in the castle?" Lina shrugged and casually replied as she gently pushed Amelia to the door. "My 18th birthday ball is coming up and I want to wear something that's in fashion, you know? I want to get you, Gourry, and Zelgadis something good to wear as well. I can't have you guys showing up, all dirty and everything, now can I? I'm a princess after all. I have a reputation to uphold. Now, while I do my things, wait for me in the garden. I won't be long. The entrance to the garden is straight to the left from here, with one turn at the end of the hallway. Okay? I'll meet you there. Bye!" With that, Lina pushed Amelia through the door and closed it after Pico followed her. Lina and Amelia went their separate ways.  
  
A/N: Hmmm.I need to make Luna scarier. So far, Lina doesn't really have anything big to be scared about. How do you like my story so far? I'll post another chapter soon. Please REVIEW!!! 


	5. V: Shopping and Dinner Conversations

A/N: Thank you for reviews! Read, Savor, and ENJOY! Please?  
  
Shopping and Dinner Conversations  
  
After seeing that Amelia had left, Lina quickly went to her private bathroom and concocted her medicinal lotion for Cecelia. Then she went back to her bedchamber, rubbed the lotion over Cecelia, and left Pico to keep her company with directions on how to care for her. After doing so, Lina briskly walked down the hall to her right, and stopped at a sealed door. After entering a secret code, she went in and looked around. "Good. All of my possessions are still here." Lina walked around piles of gold, artifacts, relics, and old things from her childhood. Lina stopped in front of a pile in a back corner.  
  
"Hey! It's my old mirror!" Lina picked up a small hand-mirror with rubies surrounding the frame. "I thought I lost this. Hmm.It could come in handy. I'll bring it with me." After carefully putting the mirror into a side pocket of her cloak, Lina continued walking around the piles and reminiscing every so often. Finally, she filled a small leather bag with gold, put it inside her cloak, and walked out, making sure to lock the door behind her. After doing so, Lina set for the garden.  
  
Once there, she found Amelia sitting by the fountain, surrounded by chirruping little birds. Lina cleared her throat to catch Amelia's attention. Startled by the sudden sound, the birds flew off as Amelia smiled and stood up. "Ready to go, Amelia? I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?" Amelia walked up to Lina and shook her head. "Oh, no Lina- san. I was too preoccupied with the birds to notice the time. I'm ready to go now, though." Lina smiled and replied, "Good. Let's go." Lina led Amelia through the hallways, to the front gates of the castle. As she passed, she quickly said to the guard, "Hi and Bye Cameo. I'm going out shopping with my friend. See you at sundown." The guard could only watch in silence as Lina passed him and proceeded to walk into town.  
  
When they got to the town square, Amelia asked Lina, "Where are we going first?" Lina pointed to a shop called, "Ann and Marie's Eloquent Finery". "There - for outfits." Amelia and Lina made their way to the shop, and walked in to the sound of a bell, announcing their arrival. A middle-aged brunette woman looked up from the counter. "Welcome to Ann and Mar- Wait a minute. Could it be? Princess Lina! It is you! Oh, I'm so happy to see that you're back! What would you like today?" Lina smiled as she walked up to the counter. "Hi, Ann. How's business going? I'm here to pick out a dress for me and my friend here, and two tuxedos for my guy friends." Ann gently smiled back as she led them to an aisle at the back of the store. "Oh, we're doing just fine. But your purchase should bring us enough money to last for a long while. I'm glad that the royal family has favored this store to buy special occasion outfits. Ah, here is our newest selection of dresses. Tuxedos are on the other side. *A bell can be heard at the front of the store* I'll check back in a while. Excuse me, I have another customer."  
  
Lina nodded as Ann walked off and started looking at the dresses. "Amelia, have a look around and find a dress you like. Don't mind the prices, I'll pay for everything." Amelia stood still, shocked at Lina's behavior. "Oh, Lina-san. You don't have to do that, really. Besides, since when have you ever offered to pay for anything?" Lina waved off her question and continued to browse through the dresses. "Don't worry about it. This is my hometown, so I feel that it is my duty to treat my closest friends over the years to a few gifts. Besides, I have more than enough money to spend here. Now this ball will be the usual late-into-the-night dances, so pick something that you think you'll be comfortable in for about three to five hours - dancing and eating included." Amelia accepted this answer and started to look for a dress.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Ann reappeared. "Sorry I took so long. So, girls, how are you faring with the dresses?" Lina looked up at Ann and slightly frowned. She held up two red dresses. The one in her left hand had a showy v-neck line, waist-leg-slit, and was sleeveless, blood-red, and went down to her ankles. In the other hand, she had a slightly lighter- colored, short-sleeved, collarbone-line cut, over-her-feet, slightly puffy dress. In other words, an alluring, seductive dress compared to a more modest and princess-like dress. "Which one should I take?" "Whichever one you are most comfortable with, but I'd say, if you haven't changed much since the last time I saw you, to go with the more modest dress. Then again, if you have a date or escort that you really like, or you just want to be noticed, I'd say go with the dark red dress. You are going to be 18 that night, you might as well look the part too, right?"  
  
Lina looked down at the dresses. She murmured in a low voice. "I haven't told him about the ball yet, but I know he'll come if I ask him the right way. Hmm.I think I would like to be noticed, if it weren't for my small figure." Lina sighed and looked longingly at the dark red dress. Ann saw this and replied, "You know, it's always been my opinion that small and petite girls were better suited for these kinds of dresses, instead of say, tall and bustier women. Wouldn't you agree? Remember what Gracia looked like at the last ball before you left? It was Luna's sweet 16th birthday." Lina looked up at these words and laughed. "Boy, do I! She caught the attention of every single guy there! She even had more attention than Luna! Haha! Yeah, I suppose you're right. What do you think, Amelia?" Amelia snapped back to attention. She had thought the name Gracia, described as tall and busty, had sounded familiar. "Hmm? Oh, yes Lina-san. I think you should take the dark red dress. It'll look good on you, I just know it will. With that dress, even if you weren't the guest of honor, you'd probably get a lot of attention anyway. Please at least try it on!" Ann smiled at Lina. "Go ahead. The dressing room is right over there. We'll wait here for you." Blushing, Lina looked at Ann and Amelia, nodded, and went inside the dressing room. After ten minutes, she came out again. Amelia and Ann gasped in surprise. The dress was perfect for her. It clung to the curves that she had, drawing attention away from the curves that she didn't have. Amelia happily exclaimed, "Oh, Lina! You look magnificent! You should definitely get that dress!" Ann nodded her agreement.  
  
Lina turned around and looked at the mirror, but blocked the view of the mirror from the two females. In a whisper, she asked her reflection, "Do I really look that good? It makes me feel kind of nervous." Surprisingly, the reflection smiled back at her and nodded. In her mind, she could hear a kind, motherly voice telling her, "Of course you do, Lina darling. Any dress will look good on you, but the one that you picked out fits you perfectly. Go ahead and buy it." Lina smiled and turned back around. "Okay! I'll take it!"  
  
After taking off the dress, the rest of the outfits were quickly found, Lina paid for the garments in advance, and signed a sheet so that the attire would be sent to the castle the night before the dance. When they came back outside, Lina stated, "Alright. Next we'll go get jewelry and accessories. By the time we finish, it'll be near sundown, so we'll go back to the castle for dinner." The rest of the shopping trip more or less went on unimportantly. Lina purchased a pair of pearl-white gloves, diamond earrings, a diamond necklace, a jeweled hair barrette, red small- heeled shoes, and some light make-up. She also paid for Amelia's things and some items for Gourry and Zelgadis. They headed back to the castle.  
  
**An hour later, Lina and Everybody of Importance (In this story anyway) arrived at the dining hall for dinner**  
  
Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia stared at the dining table. It was filled completely with luscious food, everything from salads to main dishes. Lina wasn't all that surprised, so she sat down quietly. Snapping back to attention, her friends followed her. Lina whispered to Gourry to eat as nicely as possible to try to make a good impression. Gourry nodded and surprised everyone with amazingly neat table manners. It seemed as if he only ate a lot and messily when they were traveling because he needed a lot of food if he had to fight with Lina over it. But since lunch, Lina was completely well-behaved and well-mannered, so Gourry had nothing to worry about, for now. Luna started a conversation.  
  
"So, Gourry, was it? How did you first meet our little Lina?" Gourry looked at Lina wondering if Lina would allow him to tell them what had happened, and she nodded her consent. "Well, I was a wandering mercenary at the time. I was walking in the forest when I heard some bandits talking and a female voice replying. I decided to investigate and saw Lina surrounded by bandits with their swords drawn. *Gourry started to squirm sheepishly* Well, I didn't get a good look at her so I thought she might be a damsel in distress, so I rushed to her rescue. I was proven wrong when I saw her kill a dragon that same day with just one spell. Hehe." Luna looked at her little sister and smirked. "You used the Dragon Slave, didn't you? Only that spell could take out a dragon so quickly." Lina looked down and nodded. Luna continued, "How long have you been traveling together?" Lina was the one to answer. "I met them all when I was 15. Gourry first, then Amelia, then Zelgadis. Well, actually, I met Zelgadis before Amelia, but Amelia joined our group first." Luna smirked again and telepathically asked Lina. "So, do you love anyone yet?" Lina blushed, but her mind answered. "Yes! I love Gourry! - No! I love Zelgadis! - But I love Xellos!" Startled, Luna stared at Lina. Her eyes were snapped shut and Luna could see color draining from her face. Concerned, Luna asked, "Hey sis, are you alright?" Lina took a sharp intake of breath and gasped, "I-I'll be fine. I just n-need some fresh air. I'll be in the garden. Excuse me." With that, Lina half-limped and half-ran out the door. Startled at her sudden leave, Gourry stood up and ran after her. As Zelgadis and Amelia were about to do the same, Luna intervened. "Don't follow them. Lina can take care of herself. Trust me. She isn't in any danger, yet." Disturbed, the two friends sat down again and slowly continued eating. Fifteen minutes later, they all heard Lina scream and rushed out of the door.  
  
** At the Garden before the scream**  
  
Gourry finally caught up with Lina and saw her grasping the edge of the fountain, looking into the water. He slowly approached her and she looked up, pain visible in her eyes. "Lina. Are you alright? What's wrong?" Lina gasped for air again. She slowly replied, "G-Gourry. I don't have much time. If you have anything important to say to me, say it now before my body gives out." Gourry looked at Lina with alarm but consented. He bent down in front of Lina and held her hand. "Lina. Every since the first time I laid my eyes on you, I've been attracted to you. A little at first, but as we had more adventures together, I fell for you more and more each day. Lina, I love you and I would risk my life to do whatever that would please you. Will you do the honor of marrying me?" Gourry pulled a small black case from his pocket and opened it in front of Lina. She gasped in surprise and turned to Gourry in horror. "Gourry. I- I love you too, but - but -" Lina was cut off as she screamed in sudden pain and fell limp in Gourry's arm. Thoroughly distressed now, Gourry called Lina's name over and over, trying to get her to open her eyes again, but to no avail.  
  
Soon after Lina passed out, Zelgadis, Amelia, and Luna appeared at the entrance of the garden. They all gasped as they saw Lina's limp figure on the ground in front of Gourry. They continued to stare in shock as something strange began to happen.  
  
A/N: Something very interesting is going to happen in the next chapter! If you want to read it, PLEASE REVIEW!!! They're the source of my life energy. Well, not really. They just make me feel happy that my work is appreciated. Just to be nice, I'll post the next one anyway. 


	6. VI: Lina's Inner Beings Come Out

A/N: Oh, no! Lina fainted! Is she dead? Of course not! But read to find out just what exactly happened.  
  
VI. Lina's Inner Forms Come Out  
  
Everyone gasped as they saw three ghost-like figures arise from Lina's motionless body. One had a pure-white aura with a long snowy silk gown and two pure-white wings protruding from her back. The second one had a fierce red aura and wore a blood-red tunic with a black cape and two red little horns on its head. The third one had a chaos black aura and wore a black cloak trimmed with gold. All three looked like Lina. As the three figures opened their eyes, the audience saw that the first had innocent eyes, the second had menacing eyes, and the third had a serious glare.  
  
Backing up and nervously standing up, Gourry was the first to speak. "Who are you and what have you done to Lina?" All three looked at Gourry and simultaneously replied. "All three of us are Lina. We are the spirits living inside her body. Without us, she is just a mere, lowly human girl." Then, as the others slowly began to walk towards Gourry, they introduced themselves. The first stated, "I am known as Angelina, I am responsible for every kind and forgiving deed that Lina has done since she was 8. I am the lord of all Angels, somewhat higher status than a golden dragon." The second declared, "I am known as Mazolina. I am responsible for all of the mischievously bad things Lina has done since she was born. I am the Lord of Demons, somewhat higher status than a Mazoku lord." Finally, the third solemnly voiced, "I am known as Kollina, I am responsible for every serious and possibly-life-threatening deed she has done ever since she was born. I am the Knight of L-sama, the human representative of the Lord of Nightmares Herself." The group stared at the spirits, utterly speechless. Finally, Luna spoke up. "Why have you shown yourselves to us now?" All three grinned.  
  
Mazolina said, "To stir up trouble. We were bored sitting idly by as Lina visited her hometown. Oh, yes. We forgot to mention that Lina was born a human and controls whatever she does when she isn't doing something nice, mischievous, or life-threatening." Kollina nodded, "The Lord of Nightmares was deathly bored after the Hellmaster incident. She wants to see more." Angelina chirruped, "Yes, she wants Lina and us to get paired up! 'Cause she knows that Lina already fell in love with somebody!"  
  
Everybody still stared in shock. Amelia stepped forward this time. "Who-Who does she love?" All three exchanged glances and smirked at the group.  
  
Mazolina said, "For now, her answer will be 'Sore wa himitsu desu.' But we'll tell you how we feel. Wait. I want Xellos here to see this. I know he's already listening in." With a wave of her hand, everybody looked up to see Xellos hovering above them. Xellos was shocked as he floated down. "How did you do that? Only a monster could pull me out of the astral plane!"  
  
Mazolina smirked, "Weren't you listening? I AM a Mazoku! The Lord of Demons. Now then, back to you're question. It all depends on who you ask. I for one, " The spirit gently floated over to Xellos and put her arms around his neck, ".love Xellos, because he's a monster masochist and troublemaker. Much like me. I just love it when you indirectly kiss me, Xellos."  
  
Angelina smiled and went over to Gourry, also gently putting her arms around him. "And I love Gourry because he's innocent, like me, and is so protective of us all. I know nobody saw it, but I loved it when we kissed in the Ball of Chaos."  
  
Finally, Kollina floated over to the group, and to Amelia's horror, went and leaned against Zelgadis. "I love Zelgadis because he's always so serious and calm. Just like me. I know Amelia loves you, too, but that's not going to stop me."  
  
Everyone stared at the three spirits, still all the more stunned at this current confession. Even more shocking still, was when the three Lina- spirits kissed the man in front of them, for a straight minute. Luna walked up to the Knight of L-sama, as she was the closest, and asked, "Wait a minute. So does this mean Lina is triple-timing these guys?!" All three spirits laughed and backed away from the men, to their previous position.  
  
Angelina softly replied, "Oh no, of course not. We three never meddled in Lina's actual love life. We just acted together through her, to show ours, well tried anyway. Since none of us like the same person, we always stop each other from doing anything about our emotions. Well, we finally agreed upon one thing during the Hellmaster ordeal. Mazolina thought of actually going through with the plan, I supplied the pure thought to save Gourry, and Kollina cast the spell. Oh, and that time, Kollina says that L-sama never really consumed Lina's spirit. She just wanted to see what you would do. I'm so glad you ran after us, Gourry!"  
  
Mazolina stepped forward. "So? What do you think of us? Before Lina revealed her past, what did you think about her? What did you like about her? I promise that we won't be offended if we don't like what we hear."  
  
Gourry was the first to respond. "Well, I always liked the fact that she was different from any other girl that I've met. She's always nice to kids, but just plain evil to bandits and bad people in general. She warmed my heart when I heard that she risked all that she was to save me, but was absolutely furious when L-sama took her away. I guess I love her because she's only nice to those who really deserve it and only when they deserve it." Angelina beamed happily at this.  
  
Xellos was next to answer. "I suppose I've always been attracted to Lina because of all of the mischief and trouble she got herself into. I always enjoyed making her mad, because I loved the taste of her anger the most." Mazolina smirked mischievously.  
  
Zelgadis finally stepped forward. "Well, I guess I've always liked Lina because she was the most sensible and smartest of the group. She accepted me for the person I am inside, and didn't seem repulsed by my looks even when she first saw me." Kollina smiled at this.  
  
Kollina approached Zelgadis, and stopped a respectable distance away from him. "Oh yes, about that. Now that we have all exchanged confessions, I would like to offer you something you've always longed for. Your cure. But are you really sure you want to? I mean, it means throwing away all of that magical power that you had acquired from your chimeric form. So what if you don't look completely human. Look at your friends and the people who care about you the most. Do they truly judge you from just your looks? No. Besides, I, probably Amelia too, love you for who you are and also happen to think that you look handsome in your current form. So do you still want to?" At this point, Kollina was lovingly stroking Zelgadis' cheek with a gentle hand. Zelgadis got wide-eyed. "You mean you've known this entire time and never told me?! Oh well, yes, I do still want it." Kollina stepped back and smirked.  
  
"Okay, if you really want to. This is a spell directly from L-sama herself. She says to give you a five-day trial as human to see if you still want it. At this time, five days later, you will once again be in your chimeric form. Here goes." Kollina whispered a foreign spell. Her hands glowed gold and she put them on Zelgadis' chest. Immediately, the glow of Kollina's hands stopped and it was Zel's turn to glow gold. In a flash of light, Zelgadis stood there and looked in amazement at his hands. "It worked! I have soft brown hair and peach skin again! Thank you so much Kollina! I'll love you for life! Kollina? What's wrong?" Zelgadis looked down as Kollina had kneeled down and had one hand clutching her chest and one hand on the ground, or what would have been the ground if she wasn't floating. Kollina smiled at his promise of love, but cringed again as a new wave of pain overcame her. In a raspy voice, she told Zel, "I-I have stayed to long from the host body. The spell took a lot out of me as well. I must return now. Don't worry, if you come to Lina, I'll make the spell permanent from her body, but I don't think you'll want it then. Goodbye, my love. May you have human happiness while it can still last." With that, Kollina's figure blurred into a large black mass, as she returned into Lina's body via the mouth.  
  
Mazolina and Angelina also stepped back. "We must be going now, but don't be surprised if one of us starts talking briefly to you later before she mentally kicks us back into submission. Lina will stay asleep for the rest of the night while we tell her what we did. In the morning, she'll wake up and know everything that happened tonight. Goodbye for now." With that, the two remaining spirits also blurred and went back into Lina via the mouth.  
  
The small group stayed stunned until Luna offered to bring Lina back to her room. The others nodded as they went to their rooms as well, leaving Xellos to teleport back to Wolf Pack Island to report this recent turn of events to his master. They all awaited the next morning, when Lina would awake from her slumber.  
  
  
  
A/N: Sooo.What do you think? I rewrote this whole fic in one night, so I'm kind of tired. But if you review, it just might spur me on to finish the next chapter soon. Though, it might or might not take awhile. READ AND REVIEW!!! 


	7. VII: Lina's Afterthoughts

A/N: For those of you who were wondering, Lina does indeed have a human spirit. It's proven in this chapter, too. I'll explain about Luna in the next chapter. Meanwhile, read and review!  
  
Lina's Afterthoughts  
  
A few hours after dawn, on the morning after the strange confessions, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis woke up to a loud, echoing scream coming from Lina's bedchamber. Jumping out of bed and into their clothes, they rushed quickly to investigate. Back at the chamber, Luna and Pico winced. They had decided to stay in Lina's bedchamber and make sure that she would be alright. Well, while she slept she was, but when she woke up she seemed absolutely furious at someone, or something.  
  
Steam coming from her ears, Lina hopped out of bed and walked into her large closet. A few minutes later, she came out holding a large, foldable, three-sided, full-body mirror, which she roughly set up at the front of her bed. She quickly mumbled a spell and there, in the mirror, stood the three spirits inside Lina that everyone had met the night before. They slightly smiled, trying to make Lina feel better, but they knew what was coming. Luna had no time to be surprised by this, as Lina quickly started yelling at the reflections. "HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO ME!!!! HAVE YOU EVEN REALIZED THE DAMAGE YOU HAVE NOW CAUSED TO MY LIFE?!?!?! I can't believe you'd even THINK of doing something like that! Especially NOW of all times! Now that you have ALL said it, I can't even DARE to face him! L- SAMA!! You guys are SO annoying!!! Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?" Lina was glaring menacingly at the mirror, so she hadn't noticed three figures come to her door and peek in. Even before they had reached the door, Lina's companions had heard everything that she said and were confused by her statements.  
  
The three spirits had cringed at Lina's words and volume. They were looking down at the ground like little children who had just been caught by their angry parent. Finally, Kollina looked up at Lina and replied with an attempt at a smile, "We're sorry. It's what The Lord of Nightmares (L- sama) wanted, you know. I can't disobey her and these two were getting bored as well. Don't hurt us for saying this, but if you're stubborn and won't admit it, you'll lose your chance forever. We were only doing this for your own good. But we're sorry if we hurt your feelings in the process. We should have consulted you first, not afterwards." Angelina and Mazolina nodded in agreement. Lina got even madder. "I DON'T CARE if L-sama told you to do it. You should have consulted me first, at LEAST. And so what if I'm stubborn. With you guys with me, I'll have forever to tell him. Or if I don't, why should I when I know he'll be long gone before I even know it? I'll just get more hurt than I already am!" The three spirits looked down again in silence. They knew Lina was right, but they didn't know what to say. So Luna decided to butt in.  
  
"Lina. Just what ARE you talking about? What's this about you telling someone something and him dying long before you?" Lina jumped in surprise at Luna's voice. She hadn't realized that anyone else was in her room, since she was so absorbed in yelling at her spirits. She quickly recovered and snorted. "Hmph. Haven't you realized it yet? I have an angel, a mazoku, AND the Knight of L-SAMA living inside of me. Each and every one of them is virtually immortal by themselves and together they can protect my body from almost any harm. Therefore, I am pretty much immortal and will outlive almost anyone I meet. So what's the point of ever falling in love, or more so, ever telling them my feelings? Before even a hundredth of my life is gone, they'll die and I'll have to live on in grief. So, why bother?"  
  
Luna was awfully surprised at Lina's tone of voice with her, but let it past considering she was having an emotional crisis right now. "Well, why not? Even if you outlive them, you can still enjoy their company while it lasts. Or you could find a way to keep them with you forever, though that might seem a bit selfish." Encouraged by Luna's words, Angelina added their agreement. "Yes, Lina-san. Half the people that are couples in the world today always outlive their lover anyway. Someone has to die first. But why can't you just enjoy the sensation of loving while you still can? There's still time left you know."  
  
Lina snorted again and turned her head to one side, but kept an eye on the spirits. "Feh. Whatever. But what about you guys? Since you live inside me, and you already confessed YOUR feelings, what am I supposed to do when I see them? Especially when one of you takes me over again? Ever thought of that?" The three spirits were quiet again. They knew how they would react. Each one would kiss their love in turn, but to the eyes of whoever didn't know about them, it would look as if Lina was triple-timing the three guys. Everybody who was listening to the conversation stood quietly contemplating the problem at hand. Lina started pacing and spoke her thoughts quietly. "Well, I certainly don't want any of you to act your feelings through me. I wish you could just leave my body and - wait a minute. No, that won't do. I won't be immortal anymore." Looking up at Lina, Kollina cocked her head and asked, "What's your idea? Maybe we can improvise on it." Lina stopped and looked at Kollina. "You want to know? Okay, here goes. I remember back when I was fifteen, we came across someone who made dozens of perfect copies. In Sairaag, remember? I was thinking that if it was rebuilt, we could go back to that Guild we went to and ask them to make three copies of me. One for each of you to inhabit. That way, you can all separately act on your emotions, without me and you won't have to fight over who's the prettiest or anything. The only problem is, even separately, you guys are all immortal. But without you, I'm just a normal human who can and will soon die." Mazolina stroked her chin in thought. "Hey, that's not a bad idea. But you're right, it would leave you really vulnerable. Say, who do you love right now? I think I may have the answer, depending on yours."  
  
Lina blushed and took a quick glance in Luna's direction. "It's a secret and I'm not even completely sure right now. I won't tell you if we aren't alone. But what was your idea?" Mazolina looked on at Lina. "Well. You just need one of us to be immortal right? So.if you just made two copies and one of us stayed with you, then you could stay immortal. But it will only work if you love someone that one of us loves too. So do you?" Lina looked down, blushing still. Just then, Gourry leaned in to hear better, got caught in Zelgadis' newly soft hair, and sneezed. Startled, Luna, Lina, and Lina's three spirits looked at the door to see who was there. Realizing that her close friends had already heard everything she said, she blushed and looked down again. But suddenly a thought came into her mind, and she stomped toward them, enraged once more.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?! Peeking into my room like that! What if I wasn't fully-clothed! Eavesdropping is impolite, too! Knock next time! Geez.And to think I said all that in front of them too." Lina hit each of them in turn upside the head and walked back in front of the mirror. She sat down, undid the spell on the mirror, and closed her eyes. Telepathically, she told the spirits her answer. 'All right. You have to promise not to tell a single soul this before I do. The one I'm in love with is.Gourry Gabriev. He's a bit, no a lot, on the dumb side, but he's still handsome and charming, not to mention a great swordsman, too. But I've spent too much time of my life, at least the first 18 years, trying my best to ignore and get shoved away by men of any age. I tried to make it look as if I despised all men, and tried to make them feel the same way towards me. I think I've been successful so far, too. I know I told Gourry that I was short and underdeveloped because of the magic I used, but it's also because when I first cast the Dragon Slave, I allowed the black magic to take over my body, at least the appearance anyway. If I tried, I could do away with the mask-body that I have formed and take back the body that is rightfully mine, one that is almost or more beautiful than my mother or Gracia combined.'  
  
Angelina answered her back. 'Then why don't you? You just purchased that lovely red dress. If you take off your mask, you'll most definitely stun and grasp the attention of every man attending your ball, including Gourry dear. It could really be good for you, you know.' Kollina also added her thoughts on it. 'Yes, it's true. Also, if you band together with Angelina to show your emotions, you might have twice the fun than you would have had alone. After all, even Angelina has a cunning and mischievous side. If you're worried that you might go too far for your own good, don't worry - we'll stop you before anything happens. As you already know, we can be very forceful if we need to.' Mazolina decided to add her encouragement, too. 'Why don't you go for it? With us there with you, none of us will get hurt. And if you show your love to Gourry that night, well, we won't stop you. He even proposed to you last night, didn't he? So come on. Just do it! Give us separate bodies, order our stuff for us, take off your mask, and enjoy your ball! I know that sounds like a lot, but you're very much capable of doing all that and more. We believe in you, Lina!' Lina smiled outwardly. 'Alright but I'm not showing my feelings anytime soon.'  
  
Getting up, she walked over to her friends. Finally getting a good look at Zelgadis, she realized just how good he looked. 'Good work Kollina. You really outdid yourself with him.' 'Thank you, Lina,' came the reply. As her eyes softened, she spoke to Zelgadis. "Kollina's spell made you look really handsome, Zel. But I still agree with everyone else, you looked cool as a chimera, strong and powerful. Now you look a bit less handsome, in my opinion, and very vulnerable. Soon, you'll see just what I mean." With that, Lina smirked evilly and made her way past them, towards the dining hall. "Well? Luna, Zel, Gourry, Amelia? Are you coming or not? Aren't you hungry?" Snapping out of their daze as they watched Lina, they all rushed after her. Ten minutes later, they were eating breakfast.  
  
Surprising everybody, Lina only ate a little bit, and slowly at that. After finishing, she stood up and looked around at their faces. She announced, "Today, I'm leaving for Sairaag. I have some business to attend to. I'm going alone and Gourry don't worry about coming along to protect me. Now that they're all awake and ready, they can easily protect me themselves. I'll be back in less than five days. I'll definitely be back for the ball. I wish I could be here for the week of Zelgadis' trial cure, but this can't wait. Meanwhile, help the staff get ready for the ball. See if you can give it an additional theme too. Well, I'm off. Bye." With that, Lina smiled, her eyes turned pure red, like Mazolina, and she teleported from the room. They all sat stunned for a while until Luna took over. She started ordering them to go here and there getting this and that. This was Lina's 18th birthday ball after all. It had to be perfect.  
  
Lina had teleported to the front of a small house in Sairaag. As Lina gained control again, she looked around, confused. 'Where am I?' 'In front of Sylphiel's house. You should invite her to your ball. It's only polite. Besides, you need a place to stay while the copies are getting made, right?' Lina smiled. Angelina was always kind and considerate of everybody. She was just glad that Angelina didn't often take complete control over her. Lina stepped forward and knocked on the door. She heard a muffled 'Coming!' from within the house, and after about one minute, the door opened and Sylphiel stood in front of her. Lina smiled. "Hey Sylphiel! How's everything? Is Sairaag completely restored now?" Sylphiel gasped. The last person she'd expect to visit her was Lina. Nevertheless, she was overjoyed and hugged Lina tightly in greeting. "Oh, Miss Lina! It's so nice of you to drop by! Please, please, come in." Before she could reply, Sylphiel led Lina through the open door and into her home.  
  
As she led the way to the living room, Sylphiel answered Lina's questions. "Oh, I'm doing fine here. Yes, we just finished completely restoring Sairaag a month ago. But why are you here, now?" Sylphiel seated Lina on a comfy sofa and sat down herself. "Well, I was just wondering about something. You know that copying Guild we visited before Copy Rezo destroyed the city? Do you know if that was ever restored?" Sylphiel looked confused at Lina's question. "Yes.it was in the part of Sairaag that didn't get hit. It was barely far enough away so that the Lord of Nightmares didn't touch it either. Why?" Lina sighed with relief. "Good. It's a long story, but I need to make three, no just two copies of my body. I also wanted to ask you if you wanted to come to a ball I'm hosting in four days. You see, I was a runaway princess, but I came back to my hometown yesterday because I needed to celebrate my 18th birthday there. If you need me to, I'll pay for your dress too. But, I'm afraid, once I go back, Gourry will no longer be an option for your date. So can you come?" Sylphiel still perplexed, questioned Lina. "You're a princess? Hmm.that explains some things. I can't believe you'd actually offer to pay for my dress, but I'll come. Since we finished restoring the city, I have nothing to do here. Also, why do you say Gourry will be taken? Did you confess?"  
  
Lina frowned, but Angelina briefly took her over and squealed in delight. "Yay! You're coming! Hmm? Oh Gourry? Lina didn't confess to him, I did. My name's Angelina!" Lina regained control as she mentally beat Angelina back. 'Stop butting in and telling everybody that! You're going to really embarrass me soon! "Sorry Sylphiel. I'll explain later when we get back to the castle. Can you lead me to the Guild? And can I stay here while I'm waiting for them to finish? I promise I won't eat you out of house and home. I'll even help you around the house!" Sylphiel looked at Lina, still surprised by her politeness and consideration for her, but nodded. "Sure, I guess. Just let me lock up and I'll lead you there. Just wait outside while I get ready. "Okay. See you outside!" With that, Lina walked out of the house and waited. Getting bored, she started humming a song to her spirits. It was a song she had made up long ago to thank any one of her spirits whenever they made her happy. The song made them happy too, because it meant that Lina was happy.  
  
Soon, Sylphiel joined Lina and they Ray Winged to the Guild. When they arrived, Lina was the one to knock on the door and they eagerly awaited the answer. Soon, the familiar brown-haired man opened the door. Lina quickly stated her proposal before the man could react to her coming back. "I need two excellent-condition copies of me as soon as possible. I'll pay you 5,000 gold pieces now and if you do a good job in a small amount of time, I'll give you another 15,000 gold pieces afterwards. So, can you do it?" The old man appeared at the door, hearing Lina's proposal. The reply came quickly and eagerly. "A total of 20,000 gold pieces for just two copies? Done! Please, come in!" And so, Lina's copy period began.  
  
A/N: Ah! Lina forgot about Gourry proposing and left him hanging! What'll poor Gourry do now? Anywayz.Next will be a glimpse of Zel's trial cure and the trouble he goes through to see how he likes it. Please Review! *Pout* I'm bored. I need reviews! 


	8. VIII: Preparations and Problems

A/N: You like my story don't you? You think it's interesting right? Then why aren't you reviewing? *Pouting* Please! Questions, comments, suggestions, anything! JUST REVIEW!  
  
Preparations and Problems  
  
Back at the castle, everyone was hustling and bustling to get everything ready. There were now just two days until the ball. Luna felt that everything had to be perfect, and she knew just how to do it.  
  
"Zelgadis! Arrange those tables in a semi-circle around the throne! Gourry! Move those chairs near the tables! Amelia! Once he's done moving them, arrange them four to a table!" The strange thing was, she seemed intent on making Lina's friends work the hardest. (Hmm.I wonder why?) Just yesterday, she had made Gourry string up the banners and streamers on the walls. Then, she had Amelia wipe down and polish all the furniture (chairs, tables, etc.) in the throne room. Zelgadis was also forced to wipe down the floor and set up the music system. Luna was so busy thinking of new ways to torture Lina's friends that she didn't notice a figure walk up behind her. Luna jumped when Lina started to speak from behind her.  
  
"Do you enjoy torturing people, Luna? And here I thought the Knight of CELPHIED would be a lot more polite and nice. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Whatever shall I do? Oh well, just watch this for now." Lina clapped her hands loudly and yelled loudly to catch everybody's attention. "All right, everybody! Take a twenty minute break and go get some rest. Make sure to come back and start working again afterwards though! Amelia! Gourry! Zelgadis! Come over here! I want to show you something!" Lina's companions dropped their things and walked tiredly to Lina. Luna spoke first though. "Lina! What are you doing here? I thought you said you'd be gone five days! You aren't supposed to see this yet." Lina was barely able to stifle a giggle when she saw how Luna had dressed her friends up, but replied casually. "Oh, that. I had expected it to take three days, but I paid them to get it done quicker. Besides, I didn't say that I'd be gone FIVE days, I said I'd be gone LESS THAN five days. I didn't miss anything, though, right?" Luna smiled slightly and shook her head. "Just your friends dressed up like that since you left and them doing servant's chores."  
  
Now that her friends had gathered around her, she cleared her throat and began. "I will now perform a little magic trick. It is different than my usual magic." She held up her cape with her right hand, held it out for a second, and then dropped it. Where there was previously nothing, now had a figure that looked exactly like Lina, with a grim smile. Next, Lina repeated the same procedure with her left hand. In a flash, a girl who looked like Lina appeared, with a mischievous grin. "May I present, Kollina and Mazolina, in separate figures." Immediately, Kollina rushed up and hugged Zelgadis while Mazolina sighed hopelessly, knowing her love wasn't there. Lina patted Mazolina's shoulder comfortingly. "Hey, I know he's around here somewhere, he always is. Just do a little bit of summoning magic to get him to materialize." Mazolina smiled, concentrated for a moment, and snapped her fingers once. Immediately, Xellos was visible floating high in the air above them. For a second or two, he flapped his hands wildly, trying not to fall. Then, he did a triple mid- air flip and landed neatly on the ground.  
  
Mazolina's smile widened as she hugged Xellos tightly from the back, almost choking him in the process. When she heard him start to gag, and saw him starting to turn blue in the face, she let go. After loosening his shirt collar a bit, Xellos took a look at Mazolina. "My, my. Aren't we looking different today? I could've sworn you were all in one body the last time I saw you." Mazolina giggled slightly and Lina laughed evilly softly. Lina whispered, half to herself, "And the best is still yet to come." Fortunately, nobody but Luna, Mazolina, and Angelina heard her.  
  
Turning to Zelgadis, Lina smirked. "So, Zel. How's life treating you? Do you like being human for a change?" Surprisingly, Zel smiled widely and nodded. "Oh yeah! Being human is the best! For once, I don't have to worry about how I look! I'm so happy!" Lina sweatdropped, but kept her smirk on. She took out her jeweled mirror and handed it to Zel. "Have a look at yourself, Zel. I have a feeling your troubles have taken a turn for the worse instead of the better." Zelgadis took the mirror and looked into it. He gasped and blushed slightly. His now brown hair was messed up every which way, like he just got out of bed. He was also wearing a light pink apron with slate gray janitor-like suit underneath. At his expression, Lina and Mazolina could hold it in no longer - they laughed their heads off and were rolling on the ground, holding their sides, in fits of laughter. Zelgadis growled at them and dropped the mirror. Luckily, Kollina saw this and caught it before it hit the ground.  
  
"Zelgadis-san! Don't you know that if you break a mirror you get 7 years of bad luck?! Especially Lina's special mirror! It has a special effect - it shows the true form of whoever looks into it. So don't you dare break it! Here Lina." Kollina handed the mirror back to Lina, who smiled and put it away. Just then, the clock chimed twelve. Lina and Mazolina exchanged glances and nodded to each other. Lina mouthed 'Go now' to Mazolina and she stood up. Mazolina slightly bowed, said "Excuse me," and left the room quickly. Gourry decided to speak up. "Hey, Lina. Where's she going? Is it safe for her to go out alone?" Lina looked back at Gourry. "Oh, she'll be back soon, no worries. She is now pure mazoku, she can take care of herself."  
  
"Umm.Lina? If she is pure mazoku, then why didn't she teleport?" Lina, surprised at Gourry's observing skills, smirked. "Because she prefers to walk. Especially to where she's going. She says it's more fun for her, because she gets exercise, too. Unlike Xellos, she likes to exercise her muscles often." "Uh.Why?" "When she was inside me and things looked bad, she makes me bolt like mad. You've seen me. Therefore, I'm not nearly as fast without her." With his usual dopey look, Gourry looked up and replied softly, "Ah."  
  
Ten minutes later, an explosion could be heard just outside of the city gates. Everyone rushed to a window to see what was happening. Everyone excluding Lina, gasped at what they saw. A huge black dragon, bigger than the Dragon Fang's dragon, was currently setting fire to the buildings on the outskirts of town. Amelia furrowed her brows and bolted for the door, quickly saying as she went, "The evil dragon must be punished for his wrongdoings! JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!!!" Everybody sweatdropped, but quickly followed Amelia to the crime scene. With an evil smirk, Lina slowly followed her friends, taking her own sweet time.  
  
When they arrived, Amelia quickly caught the dragon's attention with a Burst Rondo. Then Gourry took out his sword and slashed with minimal results at the dragon. When it came to Zelgadis however, he tried to do a Diggor Bolt, but all that happened was a few sparks and then nothing. Confused, Zelgadis looked at his hands. Seeing that they weren't getting much done, Luna decided to step in. She immediately took out her big sword, and slashed at the dragon's stomach. The dragon roared in hurt as a deep gash appeared where the cut was made. Concerned, Kollina stepped forward and healed the dragon's wounds. Surprised, Luna yelled at her. "Just what do you think you're doing?! Are you trying to help the dragon?" The reply came softly, "It's Lina's plan. She wants Zelgadis to realize how bad just being a normal human can be. Don't worry, the dragon won't go any farther into the city than it already has. Just be patient and let it run its course." Luna smirked and nodded. She stepped back into the shadows and watched how it would turn out. With fierce determination, Zelgadis took out his sword and started whacking at whichever part of the dragon he could reach, but to no avail. Irritated by these ticklish slashes, the dragon whipped out his tail and hit Zelgadis, Gourry and Amelia with one hit. Kollina, Mazolina, and Xellos quickly got away before they got hit. Gourry and Amelia were unconscious, but Zelgadis quickly got right back up and tried a different strategy. Summoning all the power he had, he cast a weak Astral Vine and nicked the dragon's tail. Once again, the dragon hit Zelgadis, knocking him to the ground. The dragon was just about to stomp on Zelgadis, when a loud, eerie whistle could be heard in the wind.  
  
The dragon's ears perked up and he put his foot down, on the ground, not Zel. Slowly, from the smoke in the slight distance, a silhouette could be seen. By this time, Gourry and Amelia had woken up and were sitting up, watching the figure in the distance. As the figure walked up, they all saw standing there, Lina, with two fingers near her mouth (stance for whistling). When Lina came into view of the dragon, she levitated up to talk to the dragon face-to-face. Taking a deep breath, she frowned and began. "Saphy! Why are you here? You're up to mischief again, aren't you? Bad dragon! Return to your natural form!" At that, Kollina joined Lina in the air, and Lina floated down to the ground again. Continuing on, Kollina put up a hand, it glowed black and soon the dragon was surrounded by a similar black aura. Slowly, the dragon started to shrink, until it was as small as one of Pico's pups. Lina smiled and went over to pick up the dragon. As she raised Saphy's face to hers, she whispered, "Good job. You did well." At that, Saphy smiled and gurgled happily.  
  
Turning to her shocked friends, Lina smiled at them. "I suppose you've already met, but allow me to introduce my childhood friend, Saphy the black dragon. Well, his full name is Silicon Silver Sapphire VII, but I just call him Saphy for short. I'm sorry that he caused you so much trouble. I suppose he thought it would be the quickest way to find me, isn't that right, Saphy?" Saphy nodded and curled up against Lina's chest. He was soon snoring peacefully. With a gentle chuckle, she began making her way back to her friends. Gourry looked at Saphy, and then at Lina. "Umm.Why isn't Saphy scared of you? Aren't you supposed to be a dragon spooker?" Frowning at the nickname, Lina closed her eyes and sniffed. "Hmph! Mazolina told me earlier that dragons were only afraid of me because when they got close enough, they could sense a demon, Mazolina, inside me. As you know, demons and monsters are the dragons' worst enemies. So, of course they would get scared. But now that I extracted Mazolina from my body, they no longer can sense anything to fear. Besides, I've known Saphy ever since I rescued him in the woods as a kid. He completely trusts me."  
  
Gourry umm.contemplated this answer. After a minute or two, he looked back at Lina with a dazed expression. "Huh? What did I ask again?" Shaking their heads at his forgetfulness, the troupe walked back to the castle. Once there, Lina put Saphy into the care of Pico in her bedchamber, and turned to Zelgadis. She set right to work with a bombardment of questions.  
  
"So, still like being human? Isn't so great now, is it? Now you can't protect anyone, not even yourself. Have you realized just how hard being a complete human is? Especially with what we do for a living? Hmm?" Shocked, Zelgadis took a step back, but Lina just stepped forward and continued. "Even though Saphy wasn't a real enemy, it could have been. Did you see what happened to your powers? They're worse than when it's my.my time of the month! Ha! You should really be ashamed of yourself, you know. A guy like you having such weak and pointless attacks. I pity you, I pity you." With that, Lina sneered and walked out of the room. After exchanging glances, Kollina and Mazolina followed her. Luna, Amelia, and especially Zelgadis looked in Lina's direction, dazed. Gourry just looked up, confused. After a few minutes of processing, they all looked at Zelgadis. Luna folded her arms and frowned at him.  
  
"She's right you know. Lina may have been a bit harsh, but it's the truth. You were very weak when we fought Saphy. It's obvious that as a mere human, you will soon die from your weakness, even faster than the local townspeople. I'm going to go check on Lina. Excuse me." With that, Luna walked away, in the direction that Lina went. With saddened eyes, Amelia looked at Zelgadis. "Zelgadis-san." Zelgadis interrupted her. "Ugh. Just leave me alone Amelia. I need to think by myself." Zelgadis went out the room and headed towards the library. Sighing, Amelia and Gourry went over to a table to do the ball invitations. Amelia did the addressing and inviting, while Gourry did the stuffing and licking.  
  
In the garden, Lina and her fellow spirits were having a little chat. "Lina-san, are you alright? What made you say those awful things? He's one of your closest friends, right?" Kollina asked. Lina turned to her and replied, "I'm fine, don't worry. I guess my fighting spirit got the better of me. I've had it with him. He's so damn vain and irritating, especially now. Okay, he might have changed his opinion after what happened with Saphy, but still. What should I do?" Mazolina smirked and patted Lina's shoulder.  
  
"I'll tell you what to do! Let's hold a group debate! The topic will be 'Should Zelgadis be Chimera or Human?' The teams can be Zelgadis, Amelia, Gourry, and Luna for humans, and us for Chimera. What do you say, Lina-san?" Looking over at Mazolina, Lina contemplated this idea, smirked, got up, and nodded her head. "Yes, that's exactly what we're going to do. Tomorrow, at noon, in the dining hall. After that, we'll just have one more day until it wears off, and we decide. Come, let us check on Saphy and Pico." As they were leaving the garden, they bumped into Luna.  
  
Once again brushing her off, Lina quickly told Luna as she walked past her, "Tomorrow, we're going to hold a group debate to decide if Zelgadis should be human or chimera. Prepare two tables by tomorrow. I'll see you later, I'm going to my room." Silently, Luna nodded and headed towards the dining hall, as Lina and her spirits went to Lina's bedchamber.  
  
A/N: Well? Do you like it? Sorry it took so long - I've been trying to think of what else to write. In the next chapter, the debate will take place and Gourry will try to propose again. How will Lina deal with all this? Read the next chapter to see! You have to wait a while though.PLEASE REVIEW! 


	9. IX: The Chimeric Debate

A/N: The debate of Chimera Vs. Human and L-sama Speaks  
  
IX. The Chimera/Human Debate  
  
There were now three days until the ball and until Zel's spell wore off. Lina called Zelgadis, Amelia, and Gourry to the dining hall. Lina, Mazolina, Kollina, and Luna were already waiting for them there. When the trio arrived, they were surprised at the set-up that they saw before them. To the left of the door, there was a long table with three chairs facing the right wall. On the right side of the door, there was an equally long table with four chairs facing the left wall. There was about ten feet between the tables.  
  
Zelgadis asked the question first. "Lina, what's all this about?" Sighing, Lina pointed to the wall directly in front of them and said, "Can't you read?" On the wall, there was a white sign with large red ink that read:  
  
CHIMERIC DEBATE: Should Zelgadis be Human or Chimera?  
  
Gourry tried to read the sign, but failed. "Umm, Lina? What does the sign say? I was trained to be a mercenary, so I never learned to read." Everybody face faulted at this, but Lina answered his question. With a small, 'Oh' Gourry asked another question, "Lina, are we supposed to sit down?" Mazolina nodded and pointed to the table with four chairs. "Starting from the chair closest to the door: Amelia, Gourry, Zelgadis, and Luna - sit down." The four did as they were told, and waited as Lina sat in the middle chair with Mazolina on her left and Kollina on her right. Lina started the debate.  
  
"Okay, this is sort of like an organized argument. We three will go for Chimera Zelgadis and you guys will go for Human Zelgadis. Basically, try to think of and say the good points of your side. You know, the good things about Zelgadis being human. We'll do the opposite, the good things about Zelgadis being chimera. Ready? Okay, I'll start easy. I think Zelgadis should stay a chimera."  
  
Gourry replied, "Why?"  
  
Kollina stated, "As a human, he can barely protect himself, let alone his friends."  
  
Zelgadis half-shouted, "But as a chimera, I don't have any friends."  
  
All three on the opposing team shouted at him. "YOU DO TOO!!!"  
  
Zelgadis was startled by this, and Lina continued in a slightly lower tone, "What do you call all of us? Gourry, Amelia, and ME! If we weren't your friends, we wouldn't help you in battle like you do for us, when we need it."  
  
Amelia wanted to agree with Lina, but that wasn't the point of the debate. "If Zelgadis was human, he wouldn't have to go wandering anymore. Therefore, he wouldn't really need to protect anyone, if he settled in the right place." Zelgadis nodded in agreement.  
  
Mazolina snarled back, "Oh, and where would that be, in the outer realm? Wherever he goes in this world, there will be monsters, trolls, bandits, thieves, and the like. Maybe the first two aren't as common in the outer realm, but the last two are abundant over there, as well as here. So where could Zelgadis possibly be able to go that he wouldn't need to protect even himself?"  
  
Gourry spoke up slowly. "Uh, couldn't he move to Seyruun? It's a magical white-magic city right? And Amelia would be able to protect him there, wouldn't she?"  
  
Mazolina crossed her arms grumpily and murmured. "Maybe, but a girl protecting her guy seems kind of lame, no? Oh well, you proved that point of it anyway. Now, why do you think Zelgadis should be human?"  
  
Zelgadis leaned forward and answered, "As a chimera, I can't love anybody."  
  
Kollina raised an eyebrow in amusement, crossed her arms, and leaned back. "Sure you could. You were 1/3 golem, 1/3 mazoku, and 1/3 HUMAN. You still had a human heart and a human body on the inside. You just had the exterior hard, rock coating of a golem and the strong powers of a mazoku. Therefore, you could still love, because all you need to love is a human heart and soul, which you have."  
  
Zelgadis grimaced and sat back. Gourry took up the conversation again. "But as a chimera, Zelgadis-san was so cold and merciless. How could someone like that still love?"  
  
Ignoring Gourry's observant skills, Lina replied, "That's his problem. He just acted that way because he wanted to find his cure so much. He tried to ignore everything that wasn't possibly related to it, and that was the result. However, since he met us, I believe he's had a slight change of heart. Am I right?"  
  
Zelgadis mumbled, "Maybe, maybe not."  
  
Lina continued, "Besides, isn't part of loving on the guy's part, the wanting to protect their love? If Zel loves somebody as a human, he wouldn't even be able to protect her. The girl would probably have a lot better chance of protecting him. That would just shame your male pride, would it not?"  
  
Zelgadis quietly grumbled to himself. Lina was starting to prove her point.  
  
Amelia thought of something, and went over to Lina to whisper something in her ear. Kollina and Mazolina were both still connected to Lina, and they also had super-good hearing, so they also heard what Amelia said. As if on cue, the three blushed simultaneously as Amelia finished saying what she needed to say. Slowly recovering, Lina replied, "Okay, Amelia. You're right. That would be really hard on whoever Zelgadis decides to love. I'll give you credit for that much. *Ahem* Now then, what else was there?"  
  
Gourry and Zelgadis noted the trio's obvious blush, and decided not to question Lina's reaction. Luna finally spoke up. "Shouldn't you at least consider Zelgadis' personal happiness? If he wants to be human, then let him be. It's his own fault if he gets killed the moment he's alone."  
  
Everybody looked at Luna questioningly, and sweatdropped. They all thought, "Isn't she supposed to fight FOR humans? Although, she does have a point." From under the table, Lina pulled out a small court hammer. "Okay, now to close this up. Zelgadis, what do you want to do?" The reply that came was slightly nervous, but then firm. "To stay human, of course." With a grim expression, Lina pounded the table with the hammer three times and stated in a booming voice, "Then so be it! For the rest of your small life, you will remain human. Never again shall you be anything but that. The debate is over. Now everybody go to their rooms. Kollina and I have work to do. LEAVE NOW!"  
  
With that, everybody scrambled out of their seats and back to their respective rooms. Kollina went with Lina to her bedchamber. Once there, Kollina sat herself in the center of the room. Immediately, the circular rug underneath her moved aside, and revealed a white magical circle. Lina lit and spaced out 10 candles around the circle, and sat on the bed, watching to see what would happen.  
  
Kollina closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started moving her hands to form the special ceremonial summoning. In her mind, she slowly said the words to the spell. A minute later, a lone wind breezed through the room, extinguishing the candles. Then, an echoing female voice could be heard throughout the room, seemingly from up above. The Voice said, "What is it, my Knight?"  
  
Kollina situated herself so that she was bowing (like how Xellos did to L- sama) with her head down. "L-sama, the one named Zelgadis wishes to become fully human. Can you take care of it now, or must the trial be carried out completely before then?"  
  
After a momentary pause, the Voice replied, "I could do it now, but I don't think Zelgadis deserves to become human, just yet. I suppose he doesn't realize that being a chimera is for the best, for the moment. Maybe I should have you cast a Chaos Timewarp and send him to a possible future. Ha! Have him see himself dying before the one he loves, against an incredibly weak and cute-looking monster! Then he can see the girl dying an even more gruesome death by the same monster. Or better yet, have her taken and turned into a powerful monster! That would certainly bring upon more chaos in the world - the chaos that I so dearly love." *Sigh*  
  
Kollina solemnly asked, "So should I cast one? I know how and can do it easily." "Hmm. No. Maybe another time. Just direct my spell at him. I'll have him become chimera, whenever he wants, for a total of five hours a day. The rest of the time, he can be human. That way, when he needs to, he can protect himself and other people, and can still have his happiness the rest of the time. But do not tell him any of that, let him discover it himself. Just say that the spell was meant to make him a human permanently. Oh, before I go, how are you Lina? You seemed kind of tipsy the other day."  
  
Lina looked up and smiled. "Oh, I'm fine now. I was just having a burst of exhaustion from all three of them replying to Luna's question telepathically. Don't worry, I hope you are faring well up there, as well."  
  
"All right, if you say so. Have fun, my little Lina! Don't forget to cause chaos and destruction to the world with your little pals and spirits! You just light up my day when you do! Well, farewell for now. I'll be watching you."  
  
Suddenly, a bright flash of light encased the room, and as soon as it appeared, it disappeared. When Lina recovered from the light, she looked up to see Kollina, collapsing to the ground. Lina quickly went over to her and asked Kollina if she was alright. Kollina opened her eyes slowly and weakly replied, "I'll be fine, Lina-san. I think L-sama talked for too long this time. I just need some rest. Is it all right if I use your bed? Just until dinner." Lina smiled, nodded, and carried Kollina over to the bed. She tucked Kollina under the covers, and like a loving mother, kissed her on the forehead and said, "Sweet dreams, Kollina." With that, Lina left the room as Kollina drifted off to sleep.  
  
After closing the door behind her, Lina sighed and thought to herself. "Now that that's over with, what else do I need to do? Of course! Invite Gracia to the ball and pick out two more dresses for Mazolina and Kollina. Hmm. No, I won't take Amelia, she might get emotional on me if she sees her long-lost sister. Okay, first things first, on to see Naga the retired Serpent. Haha." As she chuckled to herself, Lina once again made her way into town.  
  
  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long. I tried to make it good, really! Well, whether or not YOU think it's good is what's important. So do you like it? Oh btw. What are flamers? I know it has something to do with reviewing, I'm pretty sure it's not a praising review, I have an idea but I'm still not sure. Oh well. Please review! 


	10. X: The Long Awaited Birthday Ball

A/N: Thank you for reviews! This chapter will start the right before the ball starts. Lina invited Naga to the ball. She did her hideous laugh, but accepted. Lina told Naga to try to dress with a bit more covering this time and she said she'd do her best. Lina is a bit doubtful of her decision to invite her. Oh, and Kollina performed her five-hour chimera spell. But Zel thinks it makes him human permanently.  
  
The Long-Awaited Birthday Ball  
  
Amelia knocked on Lina's bedchamber door. "Lina-san, are you ready yet? Almost all of your guests are here already. Do you need help?"  
  
Lina replied quickly, "I'm almost ready. Just make sure everybody's ready for my arrival. Naga, Gourry, and I will be eating tonight, so make sure the kitchen has a back-up food supply. When the clock strikes eight, open the doors and I'll be there, okay? Kollina and Mazolina are here with me, so I don't need any extra help. See you at the ball!"  
  
Amelia sweatdropped when she heard about the food. But she nodded at the door and left. "All right Lina-san. See you at 8."  
  
Inside the room, all three were all ready dressed up. The dresses were all of the same design, but with different colors. Lina gave Mazolina her new red dress because it fitted her image as a demon/mazoku. She also bought a black dress for Kollina because it was black liked darkness/chaos. For herself, Lina bought a silky white dress with gold trimmings for an angel lord. Lina also had a diamond-embedded tiara to show that she was Zelphilia's princess.  
  
Lina exhaled. She was nervous. She hadn't been to a ball in about 6 or 7 years. Kollina put a hand on Lina's shoulder. "Lina-san, we're all ready. Now the only thing left is your spell. Are you ready to cast it?"  
  
Lina nodded. She gestured that they should hold hands and form a circle. Once that was done, Lina closed her eyes and whispered a spell. When she finished, a golden circle formed around them. As it lifted off the ground and eventually over their heads, the trio's figures changed. Once the golden ring had disappeared, they looked at each other and smiled. All three had grown about three inches and their curves had grown along with their height. Their figures weren't as big as Naga's, but they were eye- catching all the same.  
  
Mazolina looked at the clock. It was ten minutes to eight. "Lina, we should get going." Lina nodded and started for the door. As she was about to close it behind Kollina, Mazolina, and herself, she said, "Come on Pico. You can escort us to the ballroom door. You can be a guard dog for the night." Pico barked happily and went after Lina.  
  
When they arrived, they only had to wait about 30 seconds before the clock chimed eight. Lina stepped forward and Mazolina and Kollina stood behind her in silence. The doors opened and the music coming from within immediately stopped. Everybody looked towards the door.  
  
Lina smiled and made her way to her throne chair. She didn't sit, but stood in front of it. Addressing the whole room, she proclaimed, "Welcome to my 18th Birthday Ball. I know I haven't been home for quite some time now, but I have returned. And if all goes as planned, I will stay for good. Now enjoy the night, be merry, and have fun!" With that, everybody clapped and the music resumed. Lina walked into the crowd with Kollina and Mazolina following her. Her group of friends were the first to come up to them.  
  
Gourry was wearing a baby blue tuxedo, with an off-white shirt underneath. Xellos was wearing a violet tuxedo, with a light lavender shirt underneath. Zelgadis was wearing the traditional black tuxedo, with a white shirt underneath. All three had a black bowtie and a red rose in their pockets.  
  
Xellos held Mazolina's hands and said, "You look beautiful tonight." Zelgadis scratched his head and blushed. "You look nice, too." Gourry should have said something nice, but it came out as, "Lina! You grew! Your chest, too!"  
  
At this everybody sweatdropped and Lina held up a fist. She wanted to hit Gourry, but she didn't have the heart to, tonight. So Kollina and Mazolina bonked Gourry on the head for her. Mazolina hissed at him, "How inconsiderate of you! You really should learn manners!"  
  
With a sigh, Lina waved everybody after her as she walked over to the buffet table. After Lina gathered about fifteen plates of food, she set them down at a table, and started to eat. Her friends followed suit, but sat at a nearby table. Mazolina and Kollina ate with Lina and shared her food. Lina didn't mind this, as long as they got her second and third helpings. Eating with politeness and manners, Lina contently ate with her eyes mostly closed. When she was finally full, Lina sat back and patted her stomach.  
  
Just then, the current song stopped, and a slow song began. Gourry got up to ask Lina to dance, but a crowd of other random men, blocked his path. It seems as if Lina had been fairly popular with the guys when she was little, because she wasn't mean to them as kids, and they all saw how she had grown up when she made her announcement.  
  
The first guy said, "Happy Birthday, Lina. Want to dance with me?" Another guy asked, "Hey, who are those two? I've never seen them before." Lina eyed the two guys and frowned. "No, I don't want to dance at the moment, I just ate. These two are Kollina and Mazolina. They're my long- lost triplet sisters."  
  
The guys looked at all three of them in turn. Finally, another guy asked Mazolina, "What about you? Do you want to dance?" Mazolina looked at him, and then stole a glance at Xellos. Seeing that Xellos seemed to be ignoring her, she first looked at Lina for approval. When Lina nodded her consent, she told the guy, "Sure, why not?" With that, Mazolina and the third guy stepped onto the dance floor and started dancing. A young, handsome man asked Kollina the same, but she shook her head. "I'll stay here with Lina." Lina smiled at this, but the group of guys grumbled. As they walked away, Kollina and Lina could hear one of them grumbling, "The three most beautiful women in this whole room, and two of them don't want to dance at all. What luck." The two left at the table snickered happily at this.  
  
After the song ended, Mazolina came back and they all started to chat quietly. The next song was a ballroom waltz. Gourry summed up his courage again and went over to Lina's table. Xellos and Zelgadis followed them. The girls looked up as the three men approached.  
  
Gourry was the first to ask. "Lina, sorry about before. Would you like to dance?" Lina looked at Gourry with surprise. "You're forgiven for the night, but you actually know how to dance a ballroom waltz? It is a bit complicated, you know." Gourry looked at the couples already dancing, and then back at Lina. He nodded. "Oh, this dance? Yeah, I learned it back when I was at home. My mom taught me." Amused, Lina nodded and said, "All right. Let's go."  
  
As they left for the dance floor, Xellos stepped up. "Mazolina, would you also like to dance?" Mazolina eyed Xellos and looked at him up and down. With a shrug, she replied, "I suppose so. If Lina is going to dance, I might as well, again." Xellos and Mazolina made their way to the floor.  
  
With Zelgadis the only one left, he blushed slightly again. "Umm. Kollina? Do you want to dance?" Kollina smiled and said, "Okay. I'll have a better view of Lina from the floor anyway. Come on." As the three couples were dancing, the group of guys from before and Amelia were grumbling. The guys were grumbling, "So that's why they were holding back. They had their own dates. Darn them! They're a lot more handsome than us, too!" Amelia was grumbling because she wanted to dance with Zelgadis. However, she immediately stopped when Gracia sat down at the same table, right next to her.  
  
Gracia, or Naga the Serpent, was wearing a flowing white dress, common to those of Seyruun royalty. In other words, she was wearing clothes fit for a Seyruun princess. "So, little sis, it's been a while. How have you been?" Amelia hugged Gracia and said, "I'm doing fine. Even better now that you're here." And so, the two sisters began to reminisce and tell each other their stories.  
  
Back on the dance floor, all six of them were having the time of their lives. Everyone danced grandly and flawlessly. They decided to continue on, and danced for about an hour or so. It was now a slow song, so the girls put their heads on their partner's shoulder and the guy's chin went lightly on their heads. Quietly, Gourry asked Lina, "Hey, Lina? *Lina puts her head up and looks at Gourry* You remember about five days ago, when I proposed to you? Well, uh, you fainted so you didn't exactly give me an answer. Could you give it to me now?" Lina stopped dancing and took a step back. She tensed up as she thought of an answer, but after a few moments, she relaxed again. Her reply was, "Let's go to the balcony for privacy, then let me see the ring."  
  
Willingly, Gourry walked with Lina to the balcony, just outside the ballroom, and stopped as they looked over the edge. It was a clear night, with a full moon and millions of twinkling stars. Gourry fished around his pockets and finally took out a familiar black box. He opened it and gave it to Lina. When she saw it, her eyes sparkled with greed, but when she touched it, she felt a surge of pain. Lina took her finger off the ring and knelt down, a hand on the ground.  
  
Feeling Lina's pain, Mazolina and Kollina looked at each other in alarm and surprise. They nodded to each other, excused themselves from their partners, and rushed to the balcony. Once there, Kollina knelt down beside Lina to see if she was okay. Mazolina looked at Gourry and asked, "What happened?" With a worried, but clueless face, he answered, "I'm not sure. I gave Lina the ring to look at, she touched it, and fell to the floor."  
  
Mazolina looked at the ring, went over to pick it up, and examined it. She recognized the ring immediately upon speculation and gave it to Kollina to see. Kollina gasped as she, too, recognized the ring. Turning to Gourry, she asked, "Where did you get this ring?" Gourry looked up in thought. "Um. I got it at a magic shop in town. I've been thinking of proposing to Lina for a while now, and it seemed like the perfect ring for her. Why? What's wrong with it?" Mazolina looked at Lina as she explained, "This ring is called The Ring of Darkness. When touched or put on, it has the power to drain the wearer of any possible goodness or light inside of them, leaving them evil and cold-hearted. Lina, who at the moment, only has Angelina inside of her, is especially vulnerable to this power. For since Angelina is completely pure and good, if Lina wears this, Angelina could disappear forever, and Lina would become basically a monster without an ounce of goodness left inside of her. How you could have found this ring in a local magic shop is beyond me. But I know that it isn't safe on Lina's hand, your hands, or anyone for that matter. I think I'll keep this for future reference."  
  
With that, Mazolina opened a pocket dimension, dropped the box into it, and closed the hole up again. Kollina helped Lina get up. "Lina will be all right, she only touched it for a few seconds. Come on, let's go back inside." Lina nodded, and they were just about to go inside again, when a loud explosion could be heard at the front gate. Turning back to the balcony, they looked to see what was happening. There, in front of them, was a group of bandits, with what appeared to be a sorcerer guiding them. Sighing, Lina went to go deal with them, but collapsed slightly before even reaching the door leading back to the ballroom. As Mazolina helped Lina up, Kollina said, "Don't worry yourself over this, Lina-sama. Leave this to me. If you wish, you may watch me from here." With her head hung in disappointment, Lina nodded her consent. "Make sure you punish them well for coming on my birthday. Kollina nodded, walked briskly through the ballroom door, and out the front door.  
  
Once she arrived, she put her hands on her hips and declared, "You there! Do you have any idea just whose castle you're attacking? *Amused, the sorcerer shook his head* This is Lina Inverse's castle! And I'm here to make sure that you shall go no further, ever!" At the name, the bandits all shuddered involuntarily. One of the bandits said, "Oh no! Not Lina Inverse! Quick! Let's get out of here!"  
  
Looking up from the guard, the rest of the bandits looked over at Kollina. All but the sorcerer, grew wolfish fangs and started drooling at the sight of her. One of the bandits in the front said, "Wait! Come on! Let's get her first!" The bandits were about to rush forward, when the sorcerer stopped them. "Don't. Looks can be deceiving. I sense great magical power from her." Growling at the sorcerer, the bandits were about to pummel him, when they once again looked at the girl. Since making her declaration, Kollina had been chanting a spell. When they looked up at her again, she was almost done. ".by the power you and I possess! DRAGON SLAYER!!!"  
  
Up above, everybody on the balcony heard what Kollina said. Mazolina, Gourry, and Lina had been joined by their other friends. Zelgadis was the first to point out, "Hey, she said 'Slayer' instead of 'Slave'! Was that supposed to happen?" While continuing to watch Kollina, Lina answered quietly, "Of course. The original Dragon SLAYER was only meant to hit the chosen target and none of the surrounding environment. But others fouled up and accidentally said Dragon Slave, and it stuck. Even you should know that if you change even a little bit of a spell, the results will be different. So instead of just killing the chosen target, the spell was altered to make a big explosion. Mazolina knew this, but being the mischievous monster that she is, she decided to keep it as Dragon Slave, just for fun. Kollina knows that I definitely don't want my castle and city to blow up, so she's restraining the spell. See?"  
  
While she was explaining, a black lightning beam shot from Kollina's outstretched hands. It outlined a black circle around the bandits, carefully dodging the guard. Then, the black beam suddenly stopped moving. The bandits relaxed and sneered at Kollina. "That's the best you've got?" Kollina smirked and closed her hands to form fists. Immediately, the black circle shrunk and closed, killing the bandits effortlessly until it disappeared in a small wisp of smoke in the center. Nothing was left of the bandits but the smoke. The castle and town was unharmed. Smiling, Kollina went to help up the guard, and after making sure that he was okay, walked back up to the ballroom. Everyone who watched, excluding Mazolina and Lina, were stunned. They had no idea that Lina knew how to do that (well, it really was Lina because for the first 18 years, Kollina was inside Lina).  
  
When Kollina appeared behind them, she asked Lina, "Are you all right now? If you are, let's return to the ball. You don't want to catch a cold, right?" Lina smiled and nodded. She led everyone back to the ball. Tired, though, everybody sat back down at the now cleared tables. Amelia and Gracia were still chatting incessantly, now a lot quicker than before. Seeing that Zelgadis had returned, Amelia asked him, "Zelgadis-san, would you please dance with me?" Zelgadis looked at Amelia, who now was pleading with puppy eyes. Rolling his eyes, Zelgadis nodded and stood up. Amelia squealed in delight and clung to him. Kollina saw this, but sat back because she didn't want to bother with Amelia.  
  
Lina had been sitting back with her eyes closed, but now she snapped them open again. Sitting up she looked around. She yelped when she found what she was looking for a sunk down in her seat. Concerned, Mazolina asked Lina, "What's wrong?" Lina pointed to a man near the door who was making his way towards them. Mazolina and Kollina looked, and immediately understood Lina's grief. Prince Xerxes was walking towards them with Luna walking behind him.  
  
With a sigh, Lina sat up and ordered a dessert. She was eating when Xerxes stood before her. "Good evening, Princess Lina. I wish you a Happy 18th Birthday. How are you faring tonight?" Smiling wanly, Lina looked up and replied, "Good evening to you as well, Prince Xerxes. Thank you, I'm doing fine tonight. You?" Lina gestured for Xerxes to sit down, but he shook his head, "I'm doing fine, but I must speak to you alone." Xerxes glanced at Kollina and Mazolina. Both of them stood up, patted Lina on the shoulder, and walked off. They were immediately mobbed by men who wanted to dance with them. With an amused smile, they chose two of the most handsome men from the group, also the most polite.  
  
Prince Xerxes sat down in front of Lina. "First off, I would like to ask you who those two are. I don't believe we've met." Waving it off, Lina sat back and replied, "Oh them? They're my two triplet sisters. They were banished when they were young, but they returned home the night I came back. You didn't know? *Lina sighs and shakes her head* Oh, well. Just goes to show how well you know me."  
  
Unfazed by Lina's comment, Xerxes continued. "And what about that blond man, Gourry? What's your relationship with him?"  
  
"Hmm. I really have no reason to tell you this, but I will, anyway. Well, he proposed to me twice already, but I didn't exactly say 'yes'. We've been traveling together for three years now. He swore for some reason to be my protector for life. Let's see, and I love him. Happy?" Xerxes looked downright upset about this, but said sarcastically, "Oh yes. Very happy. Are you going to marry him?"  
  
Lina looked at Xerxes and raised an eyebrow. "Probably not. Unless he happens to be a runaway prince from some other kingdom, the chances are slim to none. I promised my father that when I decide to marry someone, I'll make sure that he'll be a good ruler for Zelphilia." Xerxes perked up at this, because he believed he still had a chance.  
  
Xerxes was about to say something else, but Lina got up. "I'm sorry I couldn't have chatted with you more, but I really should be going. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow? *Xerxes gets up and nods* All right. Farewell for now. Good night." As Lina walked towards the door, she telepathically told Mazolina and Kollina that she was going. When they received it, they looked at Lina, excused themselves from their partners once more, and followed Lina out of the door. Once there, Lina yawned and had Pico transform into a bigger wolf again. Kollina and Mazolina helped Lina up, and started walking back to her room as Lina cuddled up in the soft fur and fell asleep. When they arrived, Mazolina carried Lina off Pico and Kollina helped her change into silk pajamas. Once Lina was curled up snugly underneath the blankets, Kollina and Mazolina sat in the armchairs, making sure that nothing would disturb Lina from her needed sleep.  
  
Meanwhile, the dance went on until one o'clock. Zelgadis, Gourry, and Xellos danced the night away with various women. Gracia, Amelia, and Luna also danced with random men. They didn't seem to notice that Lina and her two "sisters" were gone until midnight, when they too, went to sleep.  
  
A/N: I won't tell you why now, but there's a reason why Lina doesn't like Xerxes. A bit more than 'just because'. I think I'll show it in the next chapter. Another thing, I noticed that Lina seems to nod her consent a lot. It's because for 18 years, Lina was Kollina, Mazolina, and Angelina's "host body" and she's always been fairly nice to them, so they love and respect her. Also, because of this, they all feel that Lina is kind of like a mother to them. In the series, you notice that Lina is always nice to children, but definitely not so when it comes to men. That's all for now! Please review! 


	11. XI: Confessions of the Makiyuu

A/N: I know it's kind of late, but I now have an image of what Prince Xerxes looks like. Remember in the first series, what Lina's vision of Prince Philionel was before she actually met him? Imagine that that's Prince Xerxes. I'm not trying to steal ideas, it's just, well, I think of what I want in my story, then I realize later that it's either similar or exactly the same as something I've seen before in another series, or Slayers. *Sigh* Well, if you discover that I accidentally copied something, I didn't mean to and I didn't even realize I did it before I posted it. So just read and enjoy.  
  
Confessions of the Makiyuu  
  
It was 3 o'clock in the morning exactly, on the night straight after the birthday ball. It was still very dark outside. Lina suddenly snapped opened her eyes and sat up in bed. Hearing this, Mazolina came out of her half-sleep trance and asked her, "Lina-san, what's wrong? It's still very early. You should go back to sleep." But Lina just ignored her. She pulled off the covers, and bolted out the door, towards the ballroom. Just before she left, Lina uttered a single word, "Presents!" and Mazolina and Kollina knew exactly what she was thinking. They quickly followed her to make sure that she didn't get into any trouble while alone.  
  
When Lina arrived at the door to the ballroom, she quickly glanced left and right. Then she spotted a huge pyramid of gifts lying on a table in the corner, and darted towards it. There were also just as many presents on the floor underneath the table. So Lina plopped down in front of the table, reached for the nearest box, and proceeded to shake it excitedly. After a minute or two of guessing the gift, she tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box within.  
  
Lina gurgled happily as she picked up a pure gold pocket watch from inside the box. By this time, Mazolina and Kollina had caught up with Lina and were looking over her shoulder at the present. Kollina smiled and said, "That's a nice watch. Who is it from?"  
  
Startled, Lina jumped at the sudden voice and turned to face the speaker. When she recognized Kollina, she calmed down and said, "Oh um. *Looks at card* This is from Gracia or Naga. She has nice taste doesn't she?" Mazolina sat down next to Lina. "She sure does. Hey, technically, it's our birthday, too. So shouldn't we split the gifts?"  
  
Lina now looked at Mazolina. She had on a mock-sadness look in her eyes. "Aww. But these gifts were for me. Oh, fine - I suppose you're right. Let's just open all of the presents and then we'll each just take whatever we want, okay?" Lina had a mischievous glint in her eyes, but they didn't notice it. Mazolina and Kollina nodded at this and started opening the other presents with Lina. Mazolina was just as vicious at present-opening as Lina, but Kollina was very neat and carefully preserved the wrapping paper. They were all so caught up in opening presents, that they didn't realize someone or something enter the room, until it spoke. They were halfway through the presents when they heard a ghastly, hollow, mocking male voice saying, "Aren't we up early? And all just to open some presents, too. We sure are greedy, aren't we?"  
  
At this, Lina, Mazolina, and Kollina all jumped up and turned. In a ready stance, Kollina called out into the shadows, "Who's there? Show yourself!"  
  
Just beyond their eyesight, in the shadows, two pure red eyes narrowed evilly. Then, the voice spoke again. "I am a Makiyuu, a tribe of Mazoku long-since forgotten after their complete slaughter during the War of the Monster's Fall. I am the last of them. For years now I have been learning new attacks and tuning in my inner power. Now I am the great, the mighty, the indestructible. . ." A figure stepped out of the shadows. ". . . Prince Zeynon - at your service." The mazoku bowed low and then raised his head to see their reaction.  
  
All three women looked at the figure in surprise and disbelief. There, in front of them, was none other than Prince Xerxes. Still puzzled, Mazolina asked slowly, "Does this mean Prince Xerxes has always been a mazoku? I didn't sense any mazoku energy around him earlier." The mazoku chuckled slightly and shook his head.  
  
"No, he hasn't. I'm not even the real Prince Xerxes that you know. You see, the Makiyuu have the power to change their appearance, or shapeshift, into any person that they desire. If they see someone in person or in a portrait, they can shapeshift into that person for up to an hour. Then they regain their natural form. If the Makiyuu kills someone, they have the power to shapeshift into that person on and off forever. While transformed, a Makiyuu can gain access to that person's personality, knowledge, abilities, and so on. If they kill someone, their access goes deeper to the person's innermost thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and the like. I merely saw Prince Xerxes, so he's still well back in his home."  
  
After this piece of information sunk in, Lina recovered and firmly proclaimed, "Ah, I see. Well, sorry for the delay - I am the great sorcery genius, LINA INVERSE. I am known as the Bandit Killer and Enemy of All Who Live (at times Lina may not like these titles, but she can still use them to her best advantage). I am also the princess of this castle. Now state your purpose here!" Lina had forgotten that it was still night and that everybody was dead tired from the ball that had just ended two hours ago. With a groan, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis trudged to the ballroom to see what Lina was babbling to. Xellos came into view in the air right above them. Nobody in the ballroom noticed as the three friends stopped at the open door.  
  
Prince Zeynon yawned and waved a hand nonchalantly at Lina, gesturing her to stop there. "Oh I know who you are. Very well, I might add. I've been following and watching you since before you even left this town in the first place. I know almost everything that there is to know about you on the outside."  
  
Lina thought about what he said and slightly blushed. 'Wait a minute. Does that mean he watched me bathe, too? Why that stupid mazoku pervert.' Lina gritted her teeth. Kollina stepped forward. In a serious and firm voice, she said, "Then why are you here? Especially at this time of day."  
  
Zeynon chuckled again. "Well, first I wanted to catch Lina alone, but this will have to do. And my reason for wanting to catch her is . . ." With lightning speed, Zeynon rushed toward Lina and took hold of her hand. "I love you, Lina. I've been in love with you ever since I met you, even when you were only a kid." He kissed the back of Lina's hand while giving Lina's eyes an unwavering, clear look.  
  
Lina was taken by surprise at his words. Not very many people, especially complete strangers to her, did what he just did. Most of them were afraid of getting fireballed by Lina if they even approached her with such thoughts, and they would have been generally correct. But after a moment of quick thinking, Lina sneered at Zeynon and took her hand out of his grasp. "Mazoku can't love. Besides, you're a complete stranger to me."  
  
Mazolina and Xellos gasped slightly at this. Though they knew that they were special mazoku, that could have feelings, they knew that overall, Lina was right. Prince Zeynon looked slightly hurt at this, but quickly recovered his fierce determination. "Would it help if I told you that Prince Xerxes also loves you? And also, I'm not exactly a complete stranger to you. I've talked to you in disguise while you were traveling quite a few times. Want me to tell you whose forms I had taken?"  
  
Lina growled softly, but nodded for him to continue. "Well, first, when you were around 12 or 13, I acted as that vampire hiding deep within the labyrinth. I purposely allowed you to loot his treasure, and made sure that he got captured afterwards instead of me. I also must mention that all Makiyuu's are completely magic-proof, well mostly. Next, I came up to you as the famous elder golem-maker. I thought it would be a cute idea to create a super-deformed you for a golem. My, my, you were just adorable then! Anyway, the next time I confronted you was as the home-illusionist. I knew about Zelphilia because I lived here for a time, also because the original had very good geographical skills. Let's see, what else. Oh, and I masqueraded as an old man on Mypross Island, in front of that 'Fountain of Growth'. Lina-chan, you look so beautiful in swimsuits and the like! You should wear them more often!" Zeynon took a pause as he looked at Lina's body up and down with a hungry desire. Lina shivered under his gaze.  
  
Zeynon soon continued. "That's all until you split up with Naga. When you were 15, I posed as a rich, young man, who tried to get you to marry him. It nearly worked, if you had just allowed me to kiss you. Oh, and I wanted to so badly, too! *Zeynon hung his head in disappointment at the mere memory* I also acted as a crazy doll-maniac up in a mansion. I simply loved you in your outfit, Lina! Even if it wouldn't have helped you at all against the real maniac. Later on, I followed you to the outer realm and posed as the Supreme Elder and gave you that wondrous feast. I simply loved the new look you gave that old temple, too. I secretly handed you that blueprint, too. Between and after the times I just mentioned, I merely settled for watching you from the shadows. Ah, Lina-chan, I love you so much."  
  
Lina twitched. She folded her arms in front of her. "Don't call me 'chan'. I hate it when people do that. From what you said, you seem like a downright disgusting pervert and peepingtom. I also despise these kind of people. And another thing, you talk to damn much. Even I don't talk that much. Stupid motor-mouth." Prince Zeynon had done it. He had gotten on Lina's nerves and knew it.  
  
Zeynon looked hurt again at Lina's harsh words, but persevered. "I can't help it Lina-san. I admit that I've seen parts of you that no one else has *Lina held up a fist and a stressmark appeared on her head, but Zeynon quickly continued* but because of that, I know that you are definitely grown-up, with a great body to match. That makes you all the more irresistible in my eyes. And about me talking too much, well you gestured that I could tell you who I was and what forms I confronted you in. And I don't think you usually talk that much at all. I know many others who talk a lot more than you, and they don't even have anything important to say. I believe you know at least one other person as well." Everyone but Amelia immediately thought 'Amelia and her justice speeches'. Amelia just naively pondered who he could possibly be talking about.  
  
Lina sniffed. She was a bit flattered, okay a lot flattered, at all of the compliments that Zeynon had just given her, not to mention the confessions. "Tch. I'm flattered and all, but what do you expect me to do? Say 'I love you too'? You have got to be kidding me." Zeynon smiled. He had finally broken Lina's outer emotion-barrier. He simply shook his head.  
  
"By all means, no. I simply asked that you allow me to be near you, and at least somewhat noticed by you from now on. Or at least until you grow bored of me, then I'll try to win your heart once more." Lina raised an eyebrow at him. Thinking of something, she asked him, "Show me your true form." Zeynon nodded and stepped back. In a second, he was suddenly shrouded by a white cloud of err.a substance like gas clouds. Then, a minute later, the smoke dispersed and there before Lina, was an ermine, an animal from the weasel family. He had a brown top coating, with white fur covering his face, stomach, and the tip of his tail. Overall, his fur was short, glossy, and rich.  
  
Lina crouched down and picked Zeynon up. "Ooh! You look just like an ermine from those fairytale books!" Lina patted Zeynon's soft fur and cooed. "Your fur is sooo soft! Hmm.maybe I should strip your fur off of you and sell it for a very high price." At this, Zeynon's eyes widened with fright, and he vainly tried to get out of Lina's grasp, while squealing with fear. Lina laughed at his reaction and calmly continued to pet his back. "Then again, you look really cute with your coat on you. All right. From now on, you can be my pet, as a birthday present to me. I'll allow you to transform into other people as long as I've never seen them and you don't kill anybody. All right?"  
  
Zeynon quit squirming and smiled up at Lina. Lina relaxed her hold on him. Zeynon took this opportunity to jump out of Lina's hands and jump onto her shoulder and curl himself around Lina's neck. Lina smiled and scratched his head between his ears. "Come on. Let's go to sleep. I'll open the rest of the presents when I wake up again." Lina stood up and took a step towards the door. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw all of her friends looking at her from the doorway. Mazolina and Kollina also stopped and looked. Suddenly realizing that they had probably heard everything, she blushed brightly. Each gently putting a hand on Lina's shoulder, Mazolina and Kollina pushed Lina to the door.  
  
Mazolina spoke first. "Geez. What are you guys doing here? It's 3 o'clock in the morning! I know for a fact that you went to bed at one, I was still awake. As for us, Lina's been sleeping since ten last night. Lina suddenly woke up and remembered that she hadn't opened her birthday presents yet and rushed here. We followed her and we all met Prince Zeynon here. Now that you know everything, go back to bed! Show's over! Go!"  
  
Startled, the foursome was pushed by Mazolina back to their rooms. Afterwards, Kollina and Mazolina escorted Lina and Zeynon back to Lina's bedchamber. Once they reached the door, Lina yawned and Zeynon hopped down. Since he still had a human voice, Zeynon asked, "Lina? Where can I sleep?" Tiredly, Lina flopped down on the bed. Then with a small smile, she turned to face Zeynon. "Well, it'll only be about another five hours before I wake up again, and I don't think Pico and Cecelia want to share their basket and floor with you. So I suppose you can sleep on the pillow next to me until I figure something else out."  
  
Zeynon grinned happily at this. He quickly ran to the bed, leaped up and over Lina, and landed neatly on the pillow beside her. Like a dog, he circled three times before actually curling up to sleep. Lina chuckled as she watched this, and with a 'Good Night' to Mazolina, Kollina, and Zeynon, she went underneath the covers and fell asleep. Mazolina and Kollina stretched and went back to their original positions earlier that night. All was well, and not a creature was stirring, not even Gourry (:P). But all that was to be greatly disturbed the next day, well, later that day.  
  
  
  
A/N: So did you like it? I think I had them talk way too much in this chapter, but I prefer speaking than describing or action-packed parts. Isn't that sweet- Lina had a secret admirer and stalker. Lina was strangely very nice to Zeynon after he transformed into his natural state. Maybe she has something planned, or maybe she was just to tired to put up her hard emotion shield at the moment. Oh well, please review! Questions, comments, suggestions, encouragement, flames, I don't care. Just review! 


	12. XII: Angelina Wakes and Acts

A/N: Ah . . . THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!!! They made me so happy! ^__^ Just in case I have to say it again, I don't own Slayers or anything else in my story that are owned by other people already. Oh yeah, I might not mention this in the story, so I'll say it now. In my story, Luna wasn't born of royal heritage. She was born five years before Lina by the same mother but different father. That's why her hair is different, too. Her father left town when he discovered that their mother was pregnant with Luna. So sad *o* So their mother didn't get married until Prince Inverse came along. Since Luna wasn't working or actually part of the royal family, there was a big debate when she was young as to whether or not she should be allowed to stay in the castle. They soon discovered that only Luna could calm Lina down when she was having one of her crying fits or temper tantrums. So they resolved to allow Luna to sleep and eat her meals in the castle, but work in the nearby inn. Let's see . . . I'll have Angelina do something in this chapter. Prince Zeynon too, but not much. Well, on with the fic!  
  
  
  
Angelina Wakes and Acts  
  
It was five minutes until eight later that morning when Angelina woke up. She had been out cold from the mental beating that Lina had given her a few days ago, after blurting out in front of Sylphiel like she did. For those of you who don't know, Lina beating you up mentally is like getting beat up in the astral plane, without using magic, just brute strength. To most people, getting beat up mentally is ten times worse than getting beat up physically because it takes longer to heal. But now she was fully healed and awake.  
  
Angelina quickly looked around and made sure that everybody else was still asleep. They were. She smiled at Kollina and Mazolina and figured that after staying awake to protect Lina while she was "unconscious", they deserved some good rest. After also making sure that Lina herself was unconscious, Angelina silently slipped out of bed and quietly went out the door. She headed towards Gourry's room and quietly went in. She closed the door behind her and saw that Gourry was still sleeping peacefully, sprawled every-which-way on the large bed and snoring.  
  
Angelina softly walked up to the bed and laid herself down on the bed next to Gourry. In a sweet and angelic voice completely unheard of from Lina previously, she whispered, "Gourry-sama. Gourry dear, please wake up. Gourry. . ." Surprisingly, Gourry moaned softly and slowly opened his eyes to reveal two beautiful, sapphire eyes. When Gourry recognized Lina, and saw what she was wearing, his eyes snapped open completely.  
  
Oh, did I forget to mention? Lina was wearing frilly, flowery, white, silk pajamas. It was a two-piece strapless shirt on top and a short pair of shorts on the bottom. The others hadn't seen this earlier because she had been wearing a thick, cotton robe around her when she was confronted by Zeynon in the ballroom. But now, Angelina had conveniently left the robe in the bedroom and Lina's previous spell (the enhanced growth one) was still in effect. She was lying in a way that Gourry could easily see down her shirt. . . (I think most of you know where I could go with this)  
  
Angelina smiled as she watched Gourry look at her up and down, stopping to stare at certain places of her body (Hey, what do you expect? Gourry's still a guy). Looking into his surprised, blue eyes, she whispered, "I haven't seen you for quite a while. Please stay quiet, nobody else is awake yet, besides the servants. I wanted to ask you something in private, before Lina realizes what I'm doing."  
  
Gourry listened to Angelina and figured out from what she said that the woman before him wasn't really Lina, but the angel-spirit Angelina (surprise, surprise). He nodded for her to continue. Still smiling, Angelina crept closer to Gourry and put a delicate hand on his chest. Gourry shuddered at this sudden movement, but said nothing. Instead, he slowly put a shy arm around her, pulling her closer. Angelina loved this, but she knew she had to act fast before Lina woke up.  
  
"Ne, Gourry dear. If you could have anything in the world, what would it be? Try to think carefully now, not something like food or a new sword. It doesn't have to be a material item either." Gourry looked up and actually thought about this. A few minutes later, he looked back at Angelina and smiled.  
  
"If I could have anything, I wish I could have a smarter brain and be able to remember things more easily. That way, maybe Lina, err, you could love me more and I wouldn't get hurt so much. I don't think anybody can have a successful relationship if the woman keeps toasting her partner and occasionally sending him to the hospital. That kind of relationship would definitely not work out and wouldn't last very long. You know?"  
  
Angelina kept on her smile at this. She nodded, showing her understanding of Gourry's words. With a playful grin, she leaned up and gave Gourry a feather-light kiss on the lips. Soon after breaking it off, she took advantage of Gourry's shocked state. Angelina winked and said, "I'll see what I can do." With that, Angelina teleported back to Lina's room, just in time to slip under the covers again before Lina slowly woke up. Back in Gourry's room, Gourry lightly touched his lips (typical reaction after surprise kiss) and smiled to himself. He really liked Angelina.  
  
Once again back in Lina's bedchamber, Angelina quietly allowed Lina to regain control again and Lina opened her eyes. Lina sat up, yawned loudly, and stretched. Her actions woke up Kollina, Mazolina, Zeynon, and Pico. Kollina looked over at Lina and smiled.  
  
"Good morning, Lina-san. Did you have a fitful sleep?" Lina yawned again and nodded. "Very relaxing. Good morning, mina-san. Did you have a good rest, too?" The other three nodded and smiled. Lina pulled off the covers and stood up. She then changed into her royal daytime cloak and spoke in a firm but happy voice. "Good. Then let's go have breakfast. Afterwards, we'll open the rest of the presents. Come on, Zeynon. You can have breakfast with us. You do eat breakfast, right?" Zeynon yipped in excited affirmation (I don't know what sounds weasels make, so I'm making this part up), jumped off the bed, and curled himself around Lina's neck once more. Mazolina, Kollina, and Pico also followed Lina as she lead the way out the door and into the dining hall. Nobody but Gourry and Luna were seated there, and on the long table was practically a buffet of food.  
  
Smiling at Gourry (not knowing what Angelina did yet), Lina sat down across from him and said, "Mornin' Gourry!" She turned to Luna and her smile immediately disappeared. In a solemn, almost bored, voice, she greeted, "Good Morning, Luna-san. I hope you had a good rest." Luna gave Lina a small smile. Lina shuddered slightly at this, but Luna ignored it. "Good morning, Lina. Yes, I did have a nice rest, thank you." Nodding at this, Lina began filling her plate as Mazolina and Kollina also gave their morning greetings. After filling her plate, Lina began to fill her stomach with the delicious food in front of her. By the time she was almost done with her first plate, everybody else had arrived and started eating.  
  
When Lina piled her second helping, she heard a soft whimpering on her shoulder. Looking back to see what it was, Lina saw Zeynon, with saddened puppy eyes staring longingly at her food. Lina looked at Zeynon, her food, and then back at Zeynon. She smiled and whispered, "Sorry, you were so quiet, I forgot about you. Here." Lina held a piece of bacon on her fork in front of him. As quick as lightning, Zeynon swallowed the whole piece in one gulp. He opened his empty mouth, asking for more. Lina chuckled at his eagerness, much like her own, and readily prepared another piece of bacon.  
  
When breakfast was finished, the servants cleared the table, and everybody sat back in their seats with full stomachs and content. Lina had her eyes closed as she enjoyed the feeling of a full stomach. Remembering something, Gourry sat up and looked down, but spoke to Lina. "Ano, Lina? I've been meaning to ask you . . ." Lina lazily opened one eye and looked back at Gourry. "About what?"  
  
"Well, this morning you said that you'd see what you could do about what I wanted. What did you mean by that?" Opening both eyes now and sitting up, Lina frowned. "I don't remember saying anything like that. Earlier this morning, I was asleep still. What did you say you wanted?" Now more confused than before, Gourry looked up at Lina and blushed. "I said I wanted a smarter brain so that you wouldn't beat me up so much for saying dumb things and um . . . so that you'd love me more . . ." Lina blushed but sat back to contemplate this. Suddenly having a suspicion, Lina walked around the table and stood next to Gourry's chair. "Stand up. Don't ask questions, just do it." Puzzled, Gourry did as Lina asked and stood up.  
  
Lina proceeded to put her nose an inch from Gourry's chest, and sniffed a few times. She frowned at what she smelled (don't worry, it's not that Gourry smells bad, she smells something else). She followed the scent up Gourry's chest, to his lips. Now an inch from Gourry's lips, Lina's frown deepened and she stepped back. "Angelina's scent is all over you. Stupid Angelina. She took over my body this morning and talked to you, didn't she?" Gourry nodded and Lina started muttering to herself. "It's not like we don't know how to pull off what she said, but the nerve of her - " Lina stopped talking as she realized something. That morning, before she went back to bed, she had taken off her robe and Lina remembered what she had been sleeping in. Lina turned a bright red and immediately tried to fireball Gourry. Unfortunately, it just so happened that it was once again, her "time of the month". All that came out of Lina's hands were a few red sparks that quickly disintegrated.  
  
She mentally cursed as she went back over to the other side of the table and walked up to where Mazolina sat. Still furious, she bent down and whispered in Mazolina's ear, "Plllllllease fireball him for me. Angelina snuck out this morning and talked to Gourry. And I'm pretty sure she was still wearing what I wore to sleep. My dignity in front of Gourry is hurt, if you know what I mean." Thinking back to what Lina was wearing earlier that morning, Mazolina immediately blushed and nodded. She readily stood up, held up her hand, and fireballed Gourry good. He literally went up in flames and ran around frantically, trying to douse the flames. After a minute or two of no progress besides making the flames bigger, Kollina got annoyed and drenched the fire with an Aqua Create. Amelia or Zelgadis would have done it sooner, but they were no longer there. Luna had sat back, amused at what Lina did to her so-called partner.  
  
After recovering, Gourry looked up at Lina and asked, "What'd you do that for?" Lina still blushed as she answered, "Because of what you saw me in! Ugh. I'll have to keep a closer eye on Angelina from now on. Excuse me. I'll be in the ballroom. Gourry, don't you DARE follow me. Come on, Kollina, Mazolina, Pico, Zeynon. Let's go. I'll see you later, Luna-san." Lina stomped angrily out of the room, followed by everyone she had just listed. Luna smirked and walked out the door, deciding to go back to her job as a waitress. Still puzzled at what had happened, Gourry walked dazed, out the door. As he was thinking of what could have possibly angered Lina this time, he suddenly found himself lost in the corridors. He walked aimlessly until luncheon, when he found himself once again in the dining hall.  
  
On the way to the ballroom, Kollina and Mazolina were trying to calm down Lina so that she didn't end up destroying her castle when she regained her powers. Actually, she still had brute strength, so she could have destroyed parts of the castle in anger. When they reached the door to the ballroom, Lina stopped. She closed her eyes and quickly told the others what she was doing before carrying it out. "Hold on a moment while I beat Angelina to a pulp again. When will she ever learn not to pop out and do something bad to my reputation before consulting me? Grrr . . . I swear, if this gets out . . ." With that, a minute later, Angelina was beaten to a pulp inside Lina, and Lina made her way to her presents.  
  
To list everything that Lina got, and her reactions to them, would take forever. This is because every single person who knew her in Zelphilia(which is almost everyone), even the ones who hadn't attended the ball, had given her a birthday present. Only a tenth of what she actually received was in the ballroom. The rest, Luna had stored inside Lina's private vault. A few of the things that Lina really liked though, are the following: a new ruby and diamond embedded tiara from her father, a plushie of all the traveling companions she had over the years from some of her female admirers (though she had no idea where they had gotten them), a 1000 gold pieces certificate for free food at the Royal Inn from Luna (Lina paled when she saw who it was from, but still liked the gift), and the previously mentioned gold pocket watch from Naga.  
  
Mazolina was surprised at some of the things that Lina got that she liked. A few of them are as follows: a brand new sword with a gold handle and stainless steel metal (^__^ Blood flows right off and leaves the sword as clean as a whistle) from Zelgadis, a tomb (book) of practical jokes and good riddles from Xellos, and a faceless voodoo-doll (she can draw it in herself) from some Revenge Guild on the other side of town.  
  
Kollina was also surprised to find things that she appreciated as well. First, she claimed a large book of powerful spells from the Sorcerer's Guild (Not that she didn't know all the powerful spells already, she just liked it for some enjoyment reading). Next, she took a liking to a new sort of book, a thesaurus, with words from olden times. She liked this because it would be really handy when she created the chants for new spells. This was from a merchant friend of the royal family. The Lina trio split up the presents, as promised, but they were all stored in either Lina's bedchamber or her vault, for lack of a better place. So in a way, Lina got all of the presents anyway. (^o^) After putting away all of the gifts, Lina and co. sat down in Lina's chamber to discuss what to do with Gourry's wish.  
  
  
  
A/N: I'll just end it there. If you want me to continue, please review. I realized something that I explained in this chapter. If you didn't catch it, here it is: Part of the reason why Lina acted so coldly to everyone after finding out about the confessions, and what Angelina did, was because of her "time of the month" coming up. It probably didn't help when she realized that the ring Gourry tried to give her to marry her could have practically killed her. I also unintentionally made it so that because of this, Lina practically ignored Luna. She regained some of her fear in this chapter, but not completely. Again, if you want me to continue, please review. I'll be waiting. ^______^ 


	13. XIII: Departures and Separations

A/N: Thank you for your reviews. They made me happy. I like the reviews that say you like my story the best. Please review. Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers. Never have - Never Will ""(U_U)"" Too bad. I really wanted it for Christmas, too. :P  
  
Departures and Separations  
  
"I think we should try to help Gourry out. He's protected us over the last five years, so it's the least we can do," Kollina stated simply.  
  
Slightly irritated, Mazolina muttered back, "Yeah, even if none of us ever needed it, except maybe around Lina's 'time of the month'."  
  
Lina blushed and said, "All right, all right. I think we all agree that we should help Gourry become smarter, but how would we go about doing that? I don't think there's a spell right now that has anything to do with that."  
  
Kollina thought and replied as if the answer was obvious, "Well then, let's create one. We'll use an experimentation lab to devise a spell and my thesaurus to write the chant."  
  
Mazolina sat up with a bored look. "But this castle and town doesn't have a single lab in it. Where could we possibly do it?"  
  
Lina solemnly answered, "Elmekia Empire. Barbados to be exact. I, for one, know that Barbados has an excellent Experimentation Guild. I'm sure with my reputation and status, we'll be able to get in easily." Noticing the other two's hurtful glare, she added, "Not that you don't also have important status, it's just that everybody still knows us as one person, in one body."  
  
Mazolina and Kollina accepted this, but Mazolina leaned forward and complained. "But Barbados is more than a two weeks' journey from here. I like it here, it's comfortable."  
  
Kollina smirked. "Well then, we'll bring folding beds for the road and we'll sleep in the best inns money can buy for towns. Besides, compared to what we've done before, this is nothing. Remember the trip to the Fire Dragon Temple a while back? That took at least three months!"  
  
Mazolina sat back and grumbled, but Lina and Kollina smirked knowingly at Kollina's persuasion. They all knew that she was right, Mazolina hated it, but the others didn't mind so much (why would Kollina not like the fact that she was right? It's for a good cause). ^__^  
  
Finally, Mazolina stood up and muttered, "Fine, fine. Let's just go. We'll pack up now and leave after lunch. Okay?" The other two nodded in agreement and also stood up. They began to pack every possible thing that they would need into Mazolina's bottomless dimension pocket (they just floated around in subspace, the opening being in her cape). You know, the usual 25 bags of gold for restaurant food, 100 bags of actual food for the road, 10 large bags of firewood, 5 sturdy foldable beds and tents, a few extra clothes, weapons, and a bag or two of miscellaneous things that they wanted to bring for enjoyment or other ideas . . . ^__^  
  
When they finished packing, they were just in time for lunch. They decided that after lunch and before they left, they would explain the travel arrangements and Zel's transformation to everyone. They all ate lunch in relative peace, with a few chitchats here and there. After lunch, King Inverse and Luna excused themselves because they said they had something they needed to do. (King Inverse - sign lots of papers, Luna Inverse - job as waitress) Amelia and Zelgadis were also about to leave when Lina stopped them.  
  
"Wait, before you go, I have something to address to all of you, including you, Xellos." Xellos popped out of thin air with a bemused smile on his face. Lina ignored him and continued. "I'll have to be leaving soon for an important errand. Considering how good my luck is, I'll definitely be back by Christmas (Six months from then). Now then, who'd like to go with me? Kollina and Mazolina already have to go, so don't ask."  
  
Amelia replied first, "I'll stay here. As much as I'd love traveling with you again, I feel that I must stay here and catch up with my older sister, Gracia. I should also be near Seyruun in case I am needed. (Wow, that seemed kind of too mature for Amelia to say. Then again, she's about 17 years old now)" Lina nodded and looked to Gourry.  
  
Without even really thinking about it, Gourry quickly said, "I'll follow you wherever you go, Lina. I am your protector all." Gourry beamed proudly at this. Lina just smirked and mused softly, "Well, I suppose you'll have to come anyway. The experimentation can't really be tested if he's not there to use it on . . ."  
  
Out loud, Lina said, "All right. Xellos, you can choose to stay or come with us, as long as you don't cause too much damage. I don't really care." His reply was, "Hmm . . . I'll go with you, it's more fun and chaotic traveling with you." With a slightly disappointed sigh, Lina said, "Okay, we won't leave for about another hour or so. Gourry, we've already packed the essentials, including money, food, and tents. Just bring some extra clothes, armor, and whatever personal items that you feel you need to bring. Kollina, you stay behind here and explain Zel's transformation to them while I fix up something for Gourry. Come on, Mazolina." With that, Lina rushed out of the door, with Mazolina trailing behind her, before anyone could even utter a protest.  
  
Sighing, Kollina turned to the group, took a deep breath, and began. "First off, I want to say that we didn't make Zel's body permanently human. L-sama didn't feel that Zelgadis should be allowed to ever regain his human form completely, he's too well known now. *Kollina receives wide eyes and shocked looks at this but continues* So she compromised to let Zelgadis to stay human for most of the day, and have the ability to turn chimera in battle or when he gets into any surprise trouble, for a total of five hours a day. Watch. Zelgadis, put both of your hands outstretched in front of you and say 'Chimeric Transformation'."  
  
Still surprised, Zelgadis did as he was told. Immediately, right before his eyes, his hands quickly became a familiar stone and blue shade. He had become a chimera again, but this time with absolutely no pain at all. Choosing to ignore this fact at the moment, Zelgadis turned to Kollina angrily.  
  
"You turned me into a chimera again! How dare you!" Kollina smirked and said, "Well, technically, YOU turned yourself back into a chimera. That was the long version. You can become a chimera just by thinking those words. The same with turning back into a human. Just say 'Humane Transformation' instead of 'Chimeric Transformation'. It's quite simple actually. When you need to protect yourself or fight, you can transform into a chimera and be your usual strong self. Afterwards and in between those times, you can simply enjoy the few joys of being human."  
  
Still growling at the fact that the cure hadn't been permanent (though he was secretly happy because he could protect the ones he loved instead of the other way around), Zelgadis tried to simply think 'Humane Transformation'. It worked. He had suddenly turned back into a human, and he relaxed happily.  
  
Seeing that Zelgadis had calmed down, Kollina went on. "Oh, and the reasons that you can't come with us are (1) It has nothing to do with you and (2) Since you are freely able to turn chimera and back, the Sorcery Guild will naturally want to study and examine you." Zelgadis became infuriated at this. Kollina raised an eyebrow and continued, "Oh hush. We gave you the cure that you so desperately wanted, and I know that you're secretly pleased with it. I can read thoughts, you know. Anyway, being with Lina for so long, you must already know - Lina almost never gives anything without expecting anything in return. And if you refuse to do this, we will do all of the following: (1) Lina will beat you to a pulp (2) Mazolina will fireball you three times in succession (3) I'll reverse the cure so that you remain chimera 24/7 and (4) We'll all kick you out of the castle. So, are you going to do it?"  
  
Obviously, Zelgadis nodded quickly out of fear of the consequences. Kollina smiled, "Good. Every day, until they say their done, go to the Sorcerer's Guild in town, it's the tallest tower in the whole city, state your name and mention 'Chimera Observation' at the front desk, follow the receptionist to the 'study room' and wait until they say they're finished for the day before you leave. Got it?" Zelgadis could only nod again, still shocked with fear. (Hey, even Zelgadis would be fearful of all the things I listed, especially one after another)  
  
Just then, Lina came running into the room. When she stopped, she gasped for breath - she had run from wherever she went. Mazolina had been leisurely floating behind Lina, and came down as Lina stood up straight again. Handing a parcel wrapped in brown paper to Gourry, Lina said, "Here. Open it. I have a feeling you'll need it in the future, near or not." His normal puzzled self, Gourry looked at Lina as he gently took the parcel from Lina and began opening it. He gasped as he saw what Lina had given him, and held it up for all to see.  
  
It was a long and narrow sword. It had a golden hilt with small drawings (just lines and curves) and had stainless steel metal. It was about as big as his old sword (regular blade not the Sword of Light) but much lighter and easier to carry.  
  
Being the gentleman that he is, Gourry said the typical reply after receiving something really fancy. "Oh, Lina. I can't take this from you, it's too pretty. Besides, if I use it in battle, it'll get really dirty fast. It looks too nice to get dirty."  
  
Lina smiled. "Don't worry about that Gourry. The metal is stainless steel, meaning it's really easy to clean and blood or whatever won't stain on the blade. If you want, I'll give you a sword polishing kit to go with it. Oh, and here's the sheath to go with it. It's a special sheath that can defend against any sword by itself, as long as it isn't too powerful."  
  
Dumbfounded (literally, more so than usual), Gourry looked at Lina, the sword, Lina, the sword, and back at Lina. He finally smiled and said, "Gee, thanks a lot, Lina! Now I can protect you even better." Lina smirked.  
  
Suddenly, the light played on the sword, and Kollina realized just what that sword was. "Lina! That sword . . . Are you sure?" Confused, everyone looked at Kollina. Amelia asked, "What do you mean?" Kollina looked at the sword as she replied, "That sword was made especially by Lina herself. She made it before she left too. Lina created the sword so that not only would it be able to parry with any weapon possible, it could build up and send back magic attacks twice as powerful as before. Besides the fact that the Sword of Light was a special weapon from another planet, this sword is practically a complete duplicate of it, excluding the fact that the blade is solid instead of light, and that it was made here, by a human. Lina swore when she finished creating it, that she would only give it to her own personal bodyguard for life."  
  
Lina smirked again. "That's right. As soon as the person I chose accepts this sword, they are officially my permanent bodyguard. So, I hereby pronounce, Gourry Gabriev, as Lina Inverse's personal bodyguard and Royal Knight-Guard for life. You four, Amelia, Zelgadis, Kollina, and Mazolina, be witnesses to this event. Kneel." Gourry kneeled. With that, Lina pulled out her sword and mocking-knightingly tapped both of Gourry's shoulders with the tip and said solemnly, "Rise, Sir Gabriev, Royal Knight- Guard of Zelphilia." Only recognizing his name and command, Gourry rose. After a few confused moments of blinking at Lina, he asked, "What just happened?"  
  
Mazolina stepped forward to answer. "Didn't you hear, *Sir Gabriev*? (The asterisks for emphasis) Lina just knighted you. You are now part of the Zelphilian Guard System. You're OFFICIALLY Lina's personal bodyguard for life. I know you said that you would protect her for life a few years ago already, but now its official and you have to follow Lina around wherever she goes, excluding bathrooms and bedrooms, of course. Basically, just continue what you've been doing for the last five years, with the sword Lina gave you, and with it, you will publicly be known as her protector."  
  
Seeing Gourry's still perplexed expression, Lina groaned and started walking to the door. She put a hand on her forehead and sighed. "Ugh. Let's just go already. I can't take much more of this. Gourry! Hurry up and get your stuff! We're leaving as soon as you're done." Kollina and Mazolina nodded to back-up that statement. Only hearing the command, Gourry sheathed the sword, hugged Lina in thanks, and rushed to his room before Lina realized what he had just done. Surprisingly, once she did, she just smiled and hugged her arms where Gourry had put his. Then she followed Mazolina and Kollina to the front hall. About 15 minutes later, Gourry met them there, they all said their goodbyes, and headed on their way.  
  
  
  
A/N: Yeah, I'm ending this story here. Don't worry, I'll put a sequel up for it. Just look for the next thing that I put up. The sequel will describe an adventure they have before they get to Barbados. If you have any suggestions on what that adventure might revolve somewhat around, please free feel to review and tell me. I already have an idea of what I could write, but if I think your idea is good, I'll try to fit it in a little in the adventure. Uh oh.Lina-tachi left on the 13th chapter . . . Bad luck! She doesn't know it, but because she happened to leave on the 13th day of the month, which happened to be a Friday, and on the 13th chapter . . . She's bound to run into trouble. Please read, review, and await for the next story! 


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